Believe
by Knight-Aedo-Rhapsodios
Summary: This is the legend of a girl named 'Rapunzel' from a long-gone age, who has been resurrected in a future beyond any she could have ever imagined as a Guardian of Earth's last city. Join her as she uncovers the secrets of this brave new world and searches for the meaning behind her rebirth in the Traveler's light (Artwork by 'u/bluedotdenizen' on Reddit.), (Also available on AO3).
1. The Path of a New Life

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned here**.

This story was made only with entertaining purposes and is not intended to be taken seriously in any social, political or religious context under any circumstances.

"Destiny" and its characters belong to "Bungie".

"Tangled" and its characters belong to "Disney".

* * *

 **Believe**

 **Chapter I:**

 **The Path of a New Life.**

* * *

 _Since the day I was born, I had a vision about you, and the Guardian I knew you would one day become._

 _When the Traveler died, as everything collapsed around us, we, 'Ghosts', were created to bring Guardians back. So together, we could save what remained of Earth, humanity, and the Light._

 _That is my purpose._

 _But before I noticed, we were losing the battle, and you weren't there to turn the tide in our favor._

 _While I saw other Ghosts find their own Guardians, I began to wonder if I would ever find you, if there was any hope left…_

 _And then, I stumbled upon the last place where I expected to find you…_

* * *

Beyond the corroded walls surrounding the last safe city, a small, cerulean light sailed aimlessly across the prairie bathed under the late sunbeams.

Since the shadows first lengthened above the horizon, until the heavens obscured the Earth beneath a starry nightsky, the glowing construct traversed far and wide over a thousand desserts, forests and ravaged cities. Every time scavenging the remains of the lost world, just like in its previous search, and the one prior to that.

Days became months, seasons became years, yet it always began with the same goal, and ended in the same result.

 _Nothing…_

But then, after what seemed to be an endless loop of fruitless search, change was found within a place called 'The Cosmodrome'.

"Is it possible? Is it really you?" the small machine questioned itself, emitting low chirps as it hovered atop a lone hill amidst the vast blanket of tarnished vehicle bodyworks.

Suddenly, the construct's pristine, spiky shell decompressed in several segments that started orbiting around its single eye, emanating a sapphire, pulsing radiance.

And before long, its pieces converged inwards anew, reassuming their original shape with a strong blast of energy that turned everything white for a moment.

* * *

"Guardian? Guardian? Eyes up, Guardian."

She barely picked up the muffled voice as she slowly regained consciousness. She blinked a few times to clear her blurred sight, yawning silently while stretching her arms.

Once her detuned senses focused again, she found herself sitting on the soil at the middle of a bleak wasteland, surrounded by undergrowth and rubble.

"Guardian, can you understand me?" an odd creature, smaller than her palm, entered her field of view, hovering before her freckled nose.

"W-Wha… What…" she mumbled weakly, her sight fixed with curiosity upon the floating, one-eyed being.

"What a strange-looking… bird… And you can speak, too?" she completed in a raspy whisper, cautiously raising her hand to touch the uncanny creature.

"What? No! I'm not a bird!" the one-eyed being answered, retreating from the girl's reach.

"Oh… Then perhaps…" the girl withdrew her palm, pressing a slim, armored finger against her pursed, pink lips. "You are… a fairy?"

"No! No, listen," the creature replied hastily. "I'm a 'Ghost'. In fact, I am your Ghost."

"My… What? No, that cannot be," the girl retorted, narrowing her emerald-green eyes. "Because, if you truly were my… 'Ghost', then that would mean that… I'm…"

"Well, you actually have been… dead, for quite some time," the 'Ghost' said. "So you might see a lot of things you probably won't understand."

"D-dead? No… How? … It cannot be…" the girl trailed off, her gaze falling upon her mysteriously armor-clad body while she gingerly ran her fingertips across her cheek in disbelief.

"It's a lot to digest, I understand, but we have to get moving," the construct spoke, approaching from behind, hovering above her shoulder. "This is 'Fallen' territory, we are not safe here. Can you walk?"

The girl stretched her lips into a thin line, then she placed her palms on the ground and pushed herself upwards.

"W-whoah…" with moderate effort, she rose from the land, standing straight for a moment before her legs began shaking like those of a baby deer, making her lose her balance. However, she managed to regain her equilibrium by quickly bending her torso forth while she waved her arms, remaining still in her stance as her limbs slowly recovered their strength.

"Huh, that wasn't so bad..." the girl said nonchalantly, looking down over herself. "Lead the way, sir… 'Ghost'."

The construct gave a small nod and took the lead with a spin, but then it stopped dead on its tracks, turning around once more to face the girl.

"Um… Before we proceed," Ghost said. "What is the last thing you remember?"

"I'm… I'm not sure… Um…" the girl replied feebly, placing a palm on her forehead.

"What about your name? Can you remember it?" the construct questioned.

"I'm… Uh… R-…" she stammered with difficulty, rubbing her temples to ease the sudden migraine plaguing her. "R-… Ra… Rapunzel…"

"I… I can't believe it… It worked! You're alive!" Ghost exclaimed unexpectedly, spinning its ivory, spiky carcass like a whirligig, earning a small smile from 'Rapunzel'. "I was right this whole time! After all these years I finally found you! You don't know for how long I've been looking for you."

"But why?" the girl asked softly, raising her palms, gently cupping the construct in between them as she held it before her face. "Why me?"

"You see, the thing is-"

Ghost's sentence was interrupted by the sound of cracking iron elicited when several insectoid beings appeared from thin air, landing upon the rusted frameworks spread across the wasteland. Those ominous beasts had four arms and a second quartet of pupiless eyes glowing blue while their bodies were wrapped in thick metal plates entwined with crimson cloth.

 **"Fallen! Get down!"** the construct shouted horrified as the pack of arthropod-like monsters started gathering around them, roaring viciously.

Then, the atmosphere was filled with an endless stream of lightning projectiles piercing through the wind in all directions, emanating from the strange-looking weapons they wielded on their three-fingered claws.

"What is going on, sir Ghost!?" Rapunzel yelled, swiftly crouching behind a corroded metal-structure lying nearby to avoid the bulletstorm surrounding them.

"Hang in there! Just a moment!" Ghost quickly answered before vanishing with a flash of cerulean light.

"Sir Ghost!? Where are you!? Please don't leave me!" the girl cried after realizing she was alone, for the construct was nowhere to be seen. In that moment, she curled into a ball beneath her hideout while the ceaseless discharge of electric projectiles continued flying towards her.

"Don't worry, I'm still with you," suddenly, Rapunzel heard the Ghost's calm voice in her head, despite its current absence from the physical plane of existence. "There's a breach in the wall, we can lose them there but you have to be quick. Think you're up for a good sprint?"

The girl remained silent, her gaze lingering hesitatingly on the soil beneath her feet as she hugged her legs tightly against her chest.

Then she looked above her shoulder, right past her tiny refuge. The pack of insectoid beings was growing closer to her at a snail's pace while a thousand volt-bullets kept swarming the air around her.

"Is there no other way?" Rapunzel asked.

"If there was, I wouldn't be asking you to do this," the construct replied. "Worst case scenario, I'll bring you back like I just did, but we have to get out of here, fast!"

The girl closed her eyes, letting out a deep sigh before slowly opening them again. So, after a few seconds of mental preparation, Rapunzel stood from the ground, abandoning her hideout as she engaged in a frenzied sprint across the dirt road, heading to a colossal steel barrier encompassing the horizon.

The path beyond the vehicle cemetery was long, filled with arc-shrapnel bolts. Inhuman war-cries and thundering explosions drilled through the girl's ears during her run.

Rapunzel's breathing grew increasingly erratic as she evaded every obstacle in her way. Dust and rocks jumped on all directions due to the numerous projectiles impacting the ground near her in a failed-by-little intend of hindering her escape.

It was difficult for her to keep a steady pace with the never-ending bulletstorm breaking the sound barrier practically at her side, but the girl neither flinched nor doubted. She paid no mind to the foe's presence or its murderous attempts of stopping her while she continued her race towards deliverance, being closely followed by many of those 'Fallen'.

Yet, against all odds, Rapunzel managed to reach her destination unharmed, traversing an abyssal fissure in the hull of the colossal wall that led to its inner structure. But shortly after crossing the breach, an avalanche of rubble plunged into the earth behind her, creating a skyscraping dust-cloud which rose tall into the heavens.

Thus, the path inside was closed to her enemies, who merely continued their assault on the steel pile obstructing their advance, but this also meant that there would be no way to return.

"Did-… Did we… lose them!?" Rapunzel questioned between frantic gasps while she blindly continued venturing deeper into the construction, heading towards pitch-blackness for as long as the strength on her legs allowed her.

"I believe we did." Ghost replied calmly, assuming its physical form above the girl's shoulder with a spark.

"W-what… What the heck are those things!?"

"Fallen, from the House of Devils," the construct replied, projecting a blue light from its eye to unveil their surroundings, revealing a long, iron bridge hanging amidst a network of titanic steel columns. "They arrived to Earth during the Collapse. Since then they've been quite invested in pillaging the remains of our worlds, and murdering anyone who gets on their way."

"'Co-collapse'? W-what are you… talking about!?"

"I'll explain it to you later on the way back home. But right now, I must get you to the city before the Fallen find us again."

"Bu-but… to w-whereAAOOWW! Ow…" Rapunzel's run came to a sudden end after she tripped by cause of an unseen obstacle on her path, making her fall upon the cold soil with a sonorous 'thud'.

"Ugh… What did I trip over with?" she mumbled stunned, rubbing her forehead as she sat on the steel mesh of the bridge.

"Are you alright?" the construct inquired, approaching from behind.

"Well, I'm not injured, badly… What even is this?" Rapunzel asked, picking up an odd-looking, elongated device lying below her feet, inspecting its complex mechanisms up-close.

"It's an old weapon," Ghost answered. "A 'Khvostov 7G-02' to be precise. Do you know how to use it?"

"This is the weirdest sword I have ever seen."

"Here..." the construct hovered beside Rapunzel, casting the light-beam from its eye over the ancient weapon between her hands. "Take the lower grip with your right hand, grab it from here with your left and hold it firmly to your shoulder."

"Um, like this?" she followed the instructions to the letter, enveloping one palm around the posterior handle protruding from the bottom of the gadget, then wrapping the other upon the fore barrel at its opposite end. "And what does this little lever do?"

 **"Dont!"** Ghost exclaimed worriedly, causing Rapunzel to jump slightly. "Don't pull it yet. That's the 'trigger', the weapon will fire if you press it. You must be thoroughly careful with it. It's loud, and very dangerous if you're not aiming at the right direction."

"Oh, alright. But how do I know if I'm 'aiming at the right direction'?" she asked, releasing one hand from the weapon, raising it to perform a finger quote.

"Just keep it pointed to the opposite side of your person," the construct replied. "You can use the iron sight at the top for precise shots."

"Hmm… So, if I press this… 'trigger'…" Rapunzel said, placing the rear end of the device beside her clavicle, lowering her face to look through the small piece of cracked glass protruding from its top. "This weapon will just spit… fire? Arrows? Oh, magic!?"

"Small, pointy projectiles of incandescent iron cutting through air, flesh and bone at high speeds. They're called 'bullets', but your assumption is correct. You just have to remember that it won't shoot forever. It'll eventually run out of rounds and you'll have to replace the empty magazine with a new, full ammunition clip. That's called 'reloading'."

"Hmm… It doesn't seem that difficult. What about-"

Rapunzel's question was interrupted when two Fallen suddenly dropped from the heavens, landing on both sides of the bridge.

"Well, class' over! Time for a hands-on lesson!" Ghost spoke nonchalantly, vanishing from the physical plane of existence with a blue flash.

Rapunzel desperately glanced back and forth at her foes slowly approaching her, tightening her grip around the weapon in her hands. These Fallen were different from the others they had faced earlier, for these ones were remarkably taller, sporting a bulkier armor, wielding a pair of sabers wreathed in pulsating, lightning energy.

"Sir Ghost!?" she yelled, freezing in her spot.

"Pull the trigger, just like I told you!"

Even when she had the means to defend herself, Rapunzel was at a clear disadvantage, and she fell prey of fear.

She anxiously scanned her surroundings again, searching for anything that could balance the odds in her favor while her enemies continued growing closer to her. Yet, her eyes found nothing more than loose wires and a vast stretch of endless darkness around her.

Her breathing became erratic.

She had to act now, or it would be the end.

But then, when her sight settled over the steel mesh beneath her feet, an idea struck her like a bolt of lightning. She smiled with an inaudible gasp.

In that moment, Rapunzel aimed the weapon down to the bridge and pressed the trigger, releasing a spray of incandescent bullets against the iron columns beneath. The environment illuminated intermittently with every shot echoing loudly across the facility.

Before long, the supports holding the structure yielded to the numerous projectiles raining upon them. Several mechanical noises blared through the atmosphere, the world around her trembled uncontrollably. The girl and the Fallen failed to remain standing when the bridge collapsed upon itself, and everything started crumbling apart.

A thousand pieces from the framework of the construction were falling alongside Rapunzel. She screamed to the top of her lungs during her free fall.

As the ground grew rapidly closer with each second, she placed her palms before her face, clamping her eyes shut and tightening her body, preparing for the abrupt impact… that surprisingly never occurred.

While pieces from the structure of the barrier impaled themselves on the land with large clouds of dust raising below them, Rapunzel found herself floating steadily in the air, merely a few centimeters above the soil.

Utterly pussled, she looked down over herself, but no cables were stripped to her person. Instead, a faint, bluish luminescence was enveloping her whole body.

"What in the name of-Ow…" the strange brightness emanating from her being faded as soon as it appeared, causing her to plunge face-first into the ground.

After that, Rapunzel placed her palms upon the soil, pushing herself upwards to stand again. She shook her head, easing the pain. And once her senses cleared, she was greeted by a pitch blackness engulfing her surroundings.

"Sir Ghost? Sir Ghost!? Are you there!?" Rapunzel shouted at the black void, rubbing her still-aching nose.

"I'm here, I never left your side..." the construct suddenly appeared with a flash of light beside the girl's head. "By the way, nice improvisation. You killed everything in a radius of at least 30 meters, almost including us."

"You saw it, right?" Rapunzel asked, turning to her small companion. "That was so… strange… What is happening to me?"

"Well, you see," Ghost answered. "There comes a time in every human's life where their bodies begin to experience modifications, such as changes in their voice tones, the emerging of pimples on the epidermis and the apparition of hair in the-"

"Sir Ghost!" Rapunzel interrupted, frowning while clenching her fists. "Back there, just before I touched the ground… I was floating… Floating!"

"Your powers…" the construct spoke softly after a brief silence. "They're starting to manifest, faster than I had anticipated, actually. It must be a signal."

"'Signal'? Of what?" she questioned, narrowing her eyes with curiosity.

"I'm not sure yet. In this early state, I cannot tell if you are a Titan, a Hunter or a Warlock. In time we'll find out, as you keep honing your Light."

"I'm not sure I understand that..." Rapunzel mumbled, lowering her gaze as she scratched the back of her head. "But happens now? How do we get out of here?"

"Hang tight. The Fallen thrive in the dark," Ghost said, unexpectedly leaving the girl's side, flying upwards into the superior framework of the wall. "We need more light, I'll see what I can do."

Rapunzel stood still amidst the void, silently watching the construct's blue shine slowly fade in the distance until it blended with the gnawing abyss around it. For a brief instant, everything remained dark and quiet.

But then, several pillars of light dropped from the heavens, vanishing every trace of darkness within the barrier.

And it was revealed. A large structure with elongated, iron cylinders attached to each of its sides was hanging from the roof, held by many loose cables. A strange-looking machine shaped like the tip of a spear, enveloped by tubes, as well as wide metal plates.

"Whoah… What is this?" Rapunzel asked in awe, placing one palm before her eyes for protection against the new light-source.

"A ship," Ghost replied, approaching to the supposed vehicle, casting a blue beam upon its hull. "It's been here for a while, hasn't made a jump in centuries. We're lucky the Fallen haven't completely picked it clean."

"And how are we going to get it to high seas?" Rapunzel inquired, tilting her head.

"High seas? Is not that kind of ship." the construct answered.

"Then wha-"

Again, Rapunzel's train of thought was interrupted due to an inhuman roar suddenly shaking the atmosphere, produced by an enormous, eight-eyed Fallen slowly emerging from a large crevice in the background wall, while a thousand more of the smaller ones started surrounding them.

"Um, sir Ghost!?" Rapunzel cried in sheer dread, taking a trembling step back from the endless stream of enemies approaching to them.

"Hold still, I'm getting us out of here!" Ghost swiftly yelled in reply.

Then, before she could even react, her body was enveloped by a sudden wave of shinning sapphire dust until it became all her person, which quickly began to swirl around her limbs, dissolving her whole being into thin air.

Shortly later, Rapunzel found herself sitting in a small cabin populated with numerous flashing, little lights, buttons, wires and toggles displayed on a large dashboard below a large window that showed the sight of the Fallen army corralling them.

"W-what-t? Ghost! What did you do!?" she shouted exasperated, frantically palpating every inch of her body, ensuring that everything remained in its rightful place after her being was restored.

"I'll explain it to you in the way. Now, hold onto something!" the construct answered, hovering above Rapunzel's shoulder.

The small cabin around her started trembling uncontrollably. The Fallen at the other side of the window grew increasingly smaller till their sizes resembled the ants', just like the lightning bullets they uselessly fired against their vehicle while it took off.

The picture on the crystals swiftly shifted from the inner metal structures of the wall into the mountainous horizon covered in snow, followed shortly later by the cerulean, starry nightsky and a full moon looming over the Cosmodrome.

"We can come back for them when you're ready. Rest for now." Ghost said.

"What say you? Come back here? Never in this life." Rapunzel retorted, twisting her eyebrows.

Two engines blared with the might of a blazing sun. Then, in the blink of an eye, the flying ship pierced through the clouds, fading in the obscure fabric of the celestial vault blanketing the Earth.

Once more, Rapunzel followed the construct's advice at the letter, and reclined into the padded chair she was sitting on, sighing deeply while closing her eyes.

She was still unsure of what had just occurred. Who was this 'Ghost'? And why it was so interested in her? But this and many other questions occupying her thoughts would have to wait until tomorrow.

Enough life-threatening experiences for a single day, and she survived them all. As of now, she only wished for the realm of dreams to take her away into a more pleasant journey.


	2. The Union of the Dreamers

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned here**.

This story was made only with entertaining purposes and is not intended to be taken seriously in any social, political or religious context under any circumstances.

"Destiny" and its characters belong to "Bungie".

"Tangled" and its characters belong to "Disney".

* * *

 **Believe**

 **Chapter II:**

 **The Union of the Dreamers.**

* * *

"Guardian? Guardian? Wake up, Guardian…"

"Huh?" Rapunzel heard the call in her dreams, her eyes fluttered open and shut as she woke up. Everything was too bright, her surroundings were trembling unexplainably while her ears only perceived distorted echoes.

Once her senses cleared, she found herself sitting in the small cabin of the strange, flying ship with the 'Ghost' hovering before her nose.

"We're close to the Tower," the construct said. "I already notified the Vanguard and the Speaker of our arrival. We'll be there in no time."

"So… It wasn't a dream…" Rapunzel commented, releasing a long, silent yawn. "Where are we going?"

"See it for yourself." Ghost replied, parting from her side.

Rapunzel complied and leaned closer to the window above the dashboard. Numerous pillars of sunlight suddenly blazed through the shapeshifting clouds painting the crystals of the ship, making her place her hands ahead her eyes, for protection against those incandescent beams.

Bun soon, her sight adjusted to the current illumination, and then, the girl let out an inaudible gasp in awe, her jaw hanging a bit open at the surreal imagery displaying on the front window.

There was a colossal, pristine sphere hovering low upon a large city with a thousand buildings, surrounded by a swarm of quiescent lights, blanketed in an ethereal mist under the morning sun.

"What. Is. That?" Rapunzel stammered dumbfounded, frowning while tilting her head to the side.

"That is 'the Traveler', Rapunzel..." the construct answered. "Prepare yourself, I'm transmatting us out of the ship."

"Wait, wha-" before she could finish her sentence or even react, a sparkling, cerulean dust-storm appeared from thin air, swirling around the girl, engulfing her and dissolving her whole body into nothingness in just a split-second.

"-WHAAAOOOW! Ow…" shortly after, a wave of bluish light-particles materialized spontaneously in mid-air outside the ship, assuming Rapunzel's physical form, which was abruptly dragged down to firm ground by gravity. She landed on her backside with a loud 'thud'.

"You were not prepared." Ghost said nonchalantly, manifesting beside the girl.

"Yeah, next time, a bit more of anticipation would be appreciated..." Rapunzel mumbled, rubbing her forehead while she clamped her eyelids tightly shut. "Where are we now?"

"Welcome to the last safe city on Earth." the construct replied.

"The 'last'?" Rapunzel inquired again, placing her palms upon the vast expanse of ivory tiles beneath her, pushing herself off the floor.

"The only place that the Traveler can still protect. It took centuries to build. Now, we count every day it stands. And this is the 'Tower', where all guardians live."

Then, the Ghost left Rapunzel's side, floating forward. She remained behind, standing still, following her tiny companion with her gaze. And in that moment, she gawked, her eyes growing wide as she encountered a second breath-taking sight.

Several buildings rose tall on all directions around her, large and small, ornate by planters, as well as trees. Two skyscraping iron poles stood atop a low staircase before her, with elongated crimson banners hanging above them, waving slowly, almost hypnotically due to the gentle breeze flowing through the foreign square.

Rapunzel lingered motionless in her stance, silently contemplating the dreamlike scenario ahead her. Towering suits of bulky armor wandered back and forth across the terrain.

It was loud, overcrowded, ultimately alien for her.

And yet, there was something about this 'Tower', something she couldn't quite figure out, that evoked a certain familiarity.

A homely aura, soothing, even welcoming, which somehow managed to elicit a little smile from her.

"Step aside!"

"Huh?" Rapunzel's train of thought was interrupted by a bizarre creature stepping uncomfortably close to her personal space. A strange automaton with an iron, humanoid husk for a body, holding a broomstick between its abnormally thin arms.

"Oh, sorry sirr… Lady, uh…?" she babbled rapidly. A deep, crimson blush spread over her face as she extended her hands forth in plea.

The odd character shook its narrow, elongated head with seeming disdain and simply continued walking, sweeping the dust on the floor, emitting low chirps as it did.

"Don't mind them," Ghost said, approaching to Rapunzel from behind. "Apparently, the protocols used for the programming of frames seem to be lacking in the 'manners' department."

"'Programed'? What say you?" the girl asked, twisting her eyebrows while she turned to her small companion. "I believed that-"

"There you are!" once again, Rapunzel was suddenly cut off. On this ocassion by a cloaked, masked figure walking towards her, wearing brown leather armor, with deep-glowing blue eyes and a short horn protruding from the top of his head. His mouth irradiated a radiant, orange glow as he spoke.

"The Guardian and Ghost I was looking for!" the newcomer chanted gleefully, standing beside Rapunzel, gently patting her shoulder. "Kudos to you for making it out of the cosmodrome in one piece. The name's 'Cayde' by the way, and since you're a hunter, that means, from now on, I get to tell you what to do."

"Um, we're still not sure what kind of guardian Rapunzel is, Cayde." Ghost said.

"Hmm…" the individual who called himself 'Cayde' took a step back, remaining silent, looking at Rapunzel from top to bottom while he brushed his chin with his index and thumb.

"Yup, you're a hunter, a 'huntress'!" he spoke after a brief silence. "Trust me, I have a knack for these things. Besides, it would be a shame if you weren't one, 'cause I'd have to throw away all of this."

After he was done talking, Cayde moved a hand behind his back, pulling out a folded piece of gray cloth, which was torn and stained.

"W-what? Is it for me?" Rapunzel asked, staring down hesitatingly to the item between the newcomer's palms while pointing at herself for emphasis.

"Of course, kiddo!" Cayde exclaimed in reply. "It's… better than it looks. Careful with the edges, though."

Then, the girl cautiously took the offering in her trembling hands as she slowly tried to unfurl the worn fabric without ripping it, eventually revealing a long, sharp knife with a black leather grip hidden underneath the cloth.

"'My first knife and cloak'. Somebody should take a picture," Cayde said, wrapping one arm around Rapunzel's neck. "To be frank, I didn't expect your Ghost to find anything out there, or even return for that matter. Your presence here means I already lost a thousand glimmer on a bet. But hey, no hard feelings! Glad you two made it here!"

"I-I appreciate this a lot, sir. Thanks." Rapunzel replied, clutching the dagger against her chest.

"Don't mention it, kid. Just keep it sharp and polished. Now, I'll be on my way before Zavala finds I'm not around. In the meantime, I want you to find 'Lord Shaxx', I already told him you'd be coming. He'll set you up for the real deal, since the next season of the Crucible begins tomorrow morning."

"'The… crucible'?" Rapunzel inquired.

"Yeah!" Cayde replied, slowly parting from her side. "Guardians murdering other guardians for the world to see. A good opportunity for a quick buck if you bet on the right horses. But don't let that deter you, it's completely safe! Despite the real ammunition… Anyway, I gotta' go. Welcome to hell, kid! Talk to you later!"

With that, Cayde gave a last pat on Rapunzel's shoulder before his body was swiftly enveloped in a shining dust-storm that emerged from thin air, which then dissolved spontaneously into nothingness, leaving the hunter vanguard nowhere to be seen.

"What a… curious individual…" Rapunzel mumbled, her sight lost on the crowd of guardians roaming around the Tower.

"That's 'Cayde-6' for you," Ghost spoke. "He has a certain… sense of humor. But, if he's right about you, we'll be reporting to him at the Vanguard soon enough."

"'Vanguard'?" Rapunzel questioned again, turning to the construct hovering beside her.

"The Tower is run by a group called 'The Vanguard'," Ghost answered. "Cayde-6 is the mentor for all new hunters."

"What happened to him? Why is he wearing that mask?"

"Mask?"

"Yes, you know, the blue one with all those flashy lights on his eyes and mouth, moving as if it had a life of its own."

"You mean his face?"

"No! How could you not see it!? It had a horn like that of a unicorn's!"

"There is no flesh or blood coursing through the body of an Exo, Rapunzel. They are quite literally 'living steel and wires'."

"'Ex… xos'? I-I don't understand, you mean that they are like… not human?"

"They were created a long time ago to fight in some forgotten conflict. But their origins remain a mystery, even to themselves. Many inhabitants of the city are Exos, actually. Some live and work just like humans do, and there are others who serve as guardians, so don't be surprised if we come across one of them during our missions."

"I-I uh… I believe I need to sit down…" Rapunzel mumbled, raising her hands to massage her temples.

"There's a whole database we can read together later on," Ghost said. "But right now, we must head for the Crucible, Lord Shaxx must be waiting for us."

"W-wait!" the girl blurted out as the construct unexpectedly left her side, floating across a second staircase leading to the lower level of the Tower.

She hurriedly chased after her little companion, arriving at a tiny outpost that resembled a living room with two velvety red couches over a large, orange rug and a small table which had several books and papers resting upon its surface.

The place was also inhabited by a small group of tall guardians wearing thick, bulky armors, bantering among each other with their backs turned on her.

Atop the counter beside it, Rapunzel spotted what she could only describe like a dragon skull, something that froze her blood in sheer trepidation. Yet, she found a pair more of those frightening craniums hanging from the background wall, next to many strange artifacts she had never seen, as well as a huge iron plate that she believed was a tower shield.

"Ghost… Is that where we're supposed to be heading?" Rapunzel whispered, standing still at the foot of the stairs, staring silently into the unsettling room and its intimidating residents.

"That is exactly where we're supposed to be heading," Ghost replied nonchalantly. "But don't worry! It's not like those Titans are going to beat you up… At least not if you don't say something that bothers them."

A cold shiver ran down her spine. She gulped, and wrapped one of her palms around her throat. Shortly after, she turned to her little companion hovering above her shoulder, which only let out a small chirp in acknowledgement.

It was the answer she expected, but not the one she wanted.

Rapunzel sighed deeply, dropping her shoulders in defeat. She closed her eyes and straightened her back as she gathered some bravery to start dragging her feet sluggishly towards the hulking, armored masses before her.

"Um… P-pardon, e-excuse me, gentle… titans?" she stammered nervously, standing behind one of those towering guardians, timidly tapping on his shoulder with her index finger. The titans slowly spun on their heel to face her.

"I uh… H-hello!" she resumed hastily, swinging her left arm over her bosom, rubbing her bicep with the opposite hand while she spoke. "I-I was wondering if any of you could tell me where I can find the one they call Lord… 'Sh-Shaics'?"

The guardians remained silent for a moment, looking at each before taking a step back.

Then, the tallest titan among them emerged. He sported a visorless helmet with a wavy, pointy horn protruding from it, wearing a thick, full-body plated armor painted white on the right side, orange on the left and a thin, black stripe in between those colors. Several utility belts hung loosely around his waist as vast motes of brown hair covered his shoulder plates, also surrounding his neck.

"Welcome to the Crucible," the colossal guardian said diligently. "I am Lord Shaxx. How may I be of assistance to you, young lady?"

"I-I uh… G-greetings!" Rapunzel babbled timidly, tapping her forefingers' tips together in front of her, gazing upwards at the titan standing ahead her. "My name is Ra-Rapunzel and s-sir 'Cayde' sent me here and-"

"Ah, you must be the new Guardian..." Lord Shaxx replied. "Perfect timing, a new season of the Crucible begins tomorrow. There is no better place for a novice to learn the tricks of the trade. And with this in your power, there'll be few trials you may not conquer on your own."

When his speech concluded, the titan moved a hand behind his back, delivering to Rapunzel a strange-looking device shaped as an 'L'. The curious gadget had a cylindric block encrusted in its cerulean, steel frame, as well as an elongated, hollow barrel projecting outwards, and a small handle protruding from its bottom.

"What is this?" Rapunzel asked, staring curiously at the odd device on Lord Shaxx's palm.

"The 'Renegade Mk. Fifty-five'!" he answered eagerly, encouraging the girl to take the gadget with a gentle shake. "Sturdy and reliable, perfect for a rookie such as yourself."

"I-I will do my best to live up to these gifts, sir 'Shaxx'." Rapunzel said, chewing on her bottom lip while she lowly extended her hand forth, reaching for the device. She carefully wrapped her fingers around its grip as if trying not to break it, then she saved it in one compartment of her utility belt.

"The Vanguard and the Crucible will provide you with everything you might need for your crusade against the Darkness," Lord Shaxx replied. "Honor thy offerings with your prowess in the battle. Prove yourself worthy of them, tomorrow, 'Eastern Flood Zone', 'The Rusted Lands'. We'll play 'Rumble'. Six contenders, you against all. Challenge your fellow guardians in a fight for survival. I'll send the details and coordinates to your Ghost."

"We'll be there, right, Rapunzel?" Ghost responded earnestly, turning to Rapunzel, who remained silent. Instead, she nodded fervently many times as she stared with wide eyes at the titan before her.

"I've high expectations vested upon thee, guardian. I hope they're not misplaced." following that, Lord Shaxx parted from the girl's side, heading towards the staircase, leaving the scene.

"That went well, if I say so myself," the construct spoke. "But before we go anywhere, we'll need an update on our ship. Hopefully the shipwright will have good news for us."

Again, Rapunzel did not reply, she only let out a heavy sigh.

"What is it?" Ghost asked.

"I… Do you mind if I catch up with you later? I need to be alone for a moment." Rapunzel answered feebly, looking at her little companion hovering above her shoulder.

"I uh… Sure! No problem. I'll go check on our ship, and come back to you when I'm done, if that's okay with you."

The girl gave a small, silent nod as response, stretching her lips into a thin line.

"Good. I'll se you later then, I won't be gone for long."

With that, the construct vanished in a flash of cerulean light.

Rapunzel sighed deeply once more, her sight lost on the crowd of motley armor suits and slender automatons walking around the Crucible outpost.

Then she gazed down at the dagger wrapped in cloth given to her earlier while she stood alone and quiet on that room. A thousand questions still plaguing her thoughts.

 _'What am I even doing here?'_

* * *

Two pristine doors slid open before her, and Rapunzel cautiously stepped out of the elevator with Ghost following her closely.

"Home, sweet home. It has… a charm to it." the construct spoke as they entered the room.

Everything inside had a sleek, whitish aesthetic, dimly lit by the sapphire shine of the moon. There was an empty bookcase on the right side, next to a door which destination remained a mystery for the moment. In the opposite end, a small nightstand found shelter along the desk and a table lamp resting atop it.

At the background wall laid a single bed enveloped on ivory sheets, below a rectangular window that showcased the city submerged under a vibrant swarm of lights, with the slumbering Traveler watching from above.

"At least the sight is wonderful," Ghost said, feigning enthusiasm. "You should rest, it's been a long day and tomorrow won't be any different."

Rapunzel gave another deep sigh while she approached to the bed and climbed upon the mattress, sitting, hugging her legs against her chest.

"Um… Ghost, there is something I need to ask you. May I?" she inquired softly, turning to face the construct.

"Sure, what's on your mind?" Ghost responded casually.

"Why did you choose me for this… whatever it is we're doing?"

Following the question, the construct floated closer to Rapunzel, casting upon the bedsheets a bluish light-beam from its eye.

Then, over the mattress materialized the translucent model of a small island, which had a tall, medieval castle crowning its summit as numerous buildings, ancient houses and cabins tightly gathered around it.

The girl folded her legs underneath her thighs, kneeling on the bed with her hands resting on her lap, so she could appreciate better the ethereal imagery before her.

"During my explorations, I came across an old archive," Ghost began, the holographic stage play changing while the narration continued. "From a time before the Collapse and even the Golden age. In this database, I found the excerpt of a legend speaking about a great kingdom named 'Corona', said to be a paradise on Earth, ruled by wise and benevolent monarchs. But on one fateful night, its queen was stricken by illness during pregnancy, and no home remedy or healing spell was able to cure her disease."

"What happened to her?" Rapunzel interrupted.

"After exhausting every countermeasure, the townsfolk rallied in search for a fabled magic that could save the royal family. A golden flower, blossomed from a small tear of light dropped by the sun centuries ago, gifted with incredible powers. This flower was found and given to the queen, restoring her health at last. Soon after, a little girl named 'Rapunzel' was born. Somehow, she retained the magic essence of the flower in her flesh and soul. But then, she was stolen from her parents by an evil witch, and hid her in a tower secluded from the rest of the kingdom. The people of Corona banded together and searched for years, but they could not find the lost princess."

"Then what happened?" the girl questioned hastily, more demanding this time.

"I never managed to find the complete version of the legend," Ghost resumed, shutting off the light from its eye, and the holographic stage play dissipated into nothingness. "Some sources state that a common thief helped her return to her true family. Others say that she never saw the light of day and died imprisoned in that tower. But, if I'm being honest, that's not what got me interested in the legend."

Rapunzel turned to her little companion, tilting her head like a confused kitten.

"I had this crazy theory. What if the sun mentioned in the legend wasn't actually the sun, but instead the Traveler arriving to Earth during a time long before the Golden age? And what if the tear was actually a mote of the Traveler's light!? So I figured, if I could find this 'Rapunzel', she would make for an exceptional guardian with a deep connection to the Traveler and the Light, one to rival even the Speaker's!"

The girl frowned at Ghost, her jaw hanging lightly open, moving as if to speak, but no words came out.

"Of course, no one believed me," the construct continued, its voice tone suddenly growing melancholic. "Sometimes, I even found myself very close to giving up. As centuries went by, as I saw other Ghosts find their guardians while I was chasing a 'children's bedtime tale', like they said, I... I began to wonder if I would ever find you. But in the end, it paid off. I was right, so far I've been, despite you not being able to remember anything from what I told you. But that's not important. I found you, and that's what matters most."

"No… It can't be…" Rapunzel whispered, covering her mouth with her hands. Her eyes wide as plates, becoming crystalline. "Am I a mere 'fairy tale'? Am I even real? What am I?"

"I… I hate to break it to you," Ghost spoke timidly, earning her attention. "But all of this is very real. The Traveler, the city. They're re all counting on us to fend off the Darkness and bring back the Light to our lost worlds, and there are real consequences. If we fail, your past, all that you have seen, everything humanity has ever known, will be gone… So, you know, no pressure!"

The statement elicited a death-stare from the girl.

"And about who you are," Ghost resumed hastily, attempting to ease the tension in the atmosphere between them. "I'd say, an extraordinary individual, whose life and feats were archived in history for the next generations as an example to follow."

Rapunzel tried to remain serious, but shortly later, a small giggle escaped her lips, and her somber expression softened into a feeble smile.

"Thank you, Rapunzel." the construct spoke suddenly.

"For what?" she whispered, maintaining her smirk.

"For being real, and joining me in this journey…"

Following that sentence, Ghost faded from the room in a flash of light, leaving the girl alone with her thoughts.

Rapunzel's sight remained fixed over the place where the construct used to be.

After a few seconds of silent thinking, she let out a pleased sigh before tucking herself under the bedsheets, folding her hands atop her abdomen.

' _An extraordinary individual, whose life and feats were archived in history for the next generations as an example to follow_ _.'_

Ghost's words still echoed loud and clear in her head, but fortunately, she got some answers. It was a nice change of pace that would help her disoriented mind to rest placidly, at least for the moment.

The other, thousand questions could wait a bit longer.

As of now, the revelation had left her drowsy. The mental fatigue was comparable to the weariness plaguing her body, both being almost unbearable.

Rapunzel stared back at the roof, yawning silently and closing her eyes, allowing Morpheus' embrace to take her away.

Tomorrow in the Crucible, the first verse of her legend would be sung…


	3. The Ruin of the Light

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned here**.

This story was made only with entertaining purposes and is not intended to be taken seriously in any social, political or religious context under any circumstances.

"Destiny" and its characters belong to "Bungie".

"Tangled" and its characters belong to "Disney".

* * *

 **Believe**

 **Chapter III:**

 **The Ruin of the Light.**

* * *

 **"Legends are not born!"** Lord Shaxx announced before a crowd of Titans, Hunters, Warlocks and the dormant Traveler floating above the last city during the first sunlight hours.

In the distance, a solitary Arcadia Class Jumpship sailed across the cloudless sky, descending upon the rusted lands. Once it got close enough to ground level, below the aircraft formed a flash of light enveloped in shining blue particles, from which the rookie guardian and her Ghost materialized, landing on a puddle with a loud splash.

"This is the last time I let you sleep 'five more minutes'!" Ghost exclaimed as it hovered beside the girl.

"I already said I'm sorry." Rapunzel said, burying her head between her shoulders out of shame.

"Five minutes do not equal two hours! At least we're not too late…"

Rapunzel remained silent while she walked forth in silence, entering to the jungle of corroded, decaying buildings covered by moss and peeled to the frameworks protruding from the snow-blanketed soil. The place was populated with trees, as well as the occasional creek coursing over the convoluted network of thick, rusted pipelines spreading across the wasteland.

"Excuse me… Coming through… Don't mind me, just passing by…" Rapunzel mumbled as she zig-zagged through the multitude of guardians, earning several grunts and death-stares in her way towards the front row.

Having left the crowd behind, she found Lord Shaxx alongside another one of those strange automatons, both standing in a large, oxidized platform with two torch poles burning bright at each side.

"Legends are forged in fire!" the Titan resumed. "Hardened by loss, and preserved by courage. In this age of endless darkness and fleeting hopes, we stand together as one, in the wake of a new Crucible tournament. Today, new legends rise among us, embracing our people, our cause as their own. But beware, beyond the walls of the city lurk the toughest trials that have been the end for many of us."

There was a pause in the speech, then several helmets were lowered to the ground.

"In these times of infinite peril, we all share humble beginnings, mysteries on our pasts. Nevertheless, the Darkness will hunt us all down, terminate us and everything we hold dear, as it always has, and always will… The Crucible is my best shot at preparing guardians for what's out there, for ensuring a future where the treat of the Darkness exists only in the past. It's time to fight back! It's time to avenge the fall of our civilization, of those who sacrificed themselves trying to prevent it. It is time to reclaim our world and finish this war once and for all! So I ask you, **Are you with me!?** "

A hundred, armored fists rose high in the air with a sonorous, collective war cry echoing throughout the rusted lands.

"Good. Arcite will announce the participants for the first match of today. Stay sharp, guardians, best of luck out there." after that, Lord Shaxx stepped out from the platform and the automaton took his place upfront the stage.

"That was so much fun! Can we do it again?" Rapunzel exclaimed joyfully, lowering her hand, turning to her small companion floating beside her.

"Focus, Rapunzel," Ghost replied earnestly. "You could be chosen for this match, and even if you're not, we must take the opportunity for you to watch and learn tactics from other guardians in a real-combat scenario."

"Relax, Pascal," the girl said nonchalantly, rolling her eyes playfully. "There is a lot of folk here, I don't believe I'll be chosen for the first match."

"Rapunzel, this is an important- w-wait, what? 'Pascal'? What is that?"

"It came to me in a dream," Rapunzel answered with a faint shrug. "Do you like it? Because, If I can be honest, calling you 'Ghost' all the time makes me feel a bit uncomfortable, but I'll keep doing it if you want me to, it's okay."

"A dream? What was that dream about?" the construct asked.

"I'm not sure, everything was so fuzzy and fleeting…" she responded, scratching the back of her head.

"You have to remember. It could be a figment from your past life, or the Traveler trying to communicate with you. Regardless, I must know exactly what you dreamt last night to understand the meaning of your-"

"And lastly, 'Huntress Rapunzel'," Ghost's speech was interrupted by the announcement. "All guardians who have been named, step before the stage immediately."

"What? Oh no… Quickly, to the stage!" the construct exclaimed, and Rapunzel swiftly began squeezing herself through the crowd, muttering apologies whenever she unwittingly lashed against distracted guardians during her approach to the stage.

"E-excuse me, s-sir-lady, uh…" Rapunzel babbled once she reached the platform, standing before the one known as 'Arcite'.

"Performing visual identification… 'Huntress Rapunzel'," the automaton replied, turning to face the girl. "You arrived late for the opening ceremony of the tournament."

"Yes, we're aware," Ghost answered hastily. "Listen, there must be a mistake, we just arrived yesterday and Rapunzel is not ready for a real-combat simulation. We don't even know what sort of guardian she is yet, and she-"

"There are no 'mistakes' in my selection protocols," Arcite interrupted. "All registered guardians must participate in the Crucible when summoned, no exceptions. Disobedience of this or any other rule will result in immediate declassification of the lawbreaker until the next season."

"Please, sir, I beg you to reconsider," Rapunzel pleaded, clasping her hands together while she pouted her bottom lip, performing the best 'puppy eyes' she could. "I'm sure you wouldn't send a poor, innocent girl like me to her death, right? I know there is goodness in your heart, enough for you to find a way to at least delay my participation. Please, it'll be only this one time and I won't bother you ever again."

"Processing…" there was a brief pause between her request and the automaton's reply. "Empathy protocols not found, emotional blackmail failed."

"You're… being sarcastic, right?" Ghost asked.

"… Yee-e-ess?"

"Oh… Alright. Thanks anyway, sir..." Rapunzel whispered, dropping her shoulders in defeat as she slowly walked away from the platform, joining the other guardians who had approached to the front.

"Performing visual identification," Arcite said, looking down at the six contesters formed before the stage. "Participants' presence confirmed, executing preparative protocols prior to match. All participants will be transmatted to the starting points within approved limits of the arena."

Suddenly, Rapunzel became enveloped by a cloud of bright dust emerging from thin air, then her being defragmented into nothingness. Soon after, her body was reformed at the place where she had previously arrived in her jumpship.

"Ghost, I-I really don't want to do this." she stuttered in dread as soon as her feet touched firm land.

"I'm afraid we have no choice, Rapunzel." Ghost replied.

"This is not actually to the death, right?" Rapunzel questioned with a trembling voice, wrapping her arms around her waist. "Because I really don't want to die again…"

"Together we can overcome this," the construct answered. "I'll be by your side all the time. Everything will be fine for as long as you stay alert and aware of your surroundings."

The girl smiled lightly upon hearing the reply, nodding lightly at her Ghost floating above her shoulder.

Breathing deeply to soothe her nerves, she pulled out the 'Renegade Mk. Fifty-five' hand cannon that Lord Shaxx gave her yesterday.

"Initiating regressive countdown," Arcite's announcement sounded through several speakers spread across the arena. "The match will begin on the flare's ignition. Each kills grants 100 points, the first participant to reach 2000 points before the time limit of ten minutes wins the match. Only the winner may claim the bounty and glory of the Crucible."

"Guardians, take your positions! The enemy is everywhere!" Lord Shaxx stepped once more upfront the stage, aiming a red flare gun at the sky. "May the best survive!"

He pressed the trigger, eliciting a large, crimson radiance to emanate from its barrel into the heavens, blanketing the entire area under a vermillion shining during its short flight.

"There! The flare!" Ghost exclaimed, vanishing from sight with a flash of light.

"What do we do now!?" Rapunzel asked, gripping her hand cannon strongly as every muscle in her body tensed, her gaze fixed upon the red blaze plummeting down to the Earth.

"We must get to higher ground, quickly!" the construct replied, its words echoing within her head.

' _Alright, here we go…'_ Rapunzel let out a deep sigh before engaging in a rampant run across the empty wastelands, keeping a steady pace towards a rusted water tower at the front.

But then, the rocks beneath her feet abruptly rose above the ground with a deafening rumble.

 **"Sniper!"** Ghost yelled.

The girl lowered her head while she continued her frenzied sprint, crouching behind a large pipeline elbow half-buried in the soil, shielding her from the unceasing stream of bullets raining upon her.

"What is wrong with the-WHOAH-!" Rapunzel babbled incoherently after many failed attempts of peeking beyond her cover due to the numerous gunshots flying towards her.

"They've got us pinned here! We need a distraction!" the construct exclaimed.

"The battle lines have been drawn!" Lord Shaxx's voice sounded in the speakers, second to a loud explosion and a loud howl of pain thundering throughout the arena, which then was followed by total silence.

"The gunshots… they stopped! It's now or never!"

Rapunzel closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before emerging from the rusted pipeline with her hand cannon ahead of her, surprisingly encountering nothing in her visual field.

"I... There's no one here..." she said dumbfounded, lowering her weapon.

"Watch the 'motion-tracker'..." Ghost whispered, and she slowly spun on her heel. Her eyes narrowed as she aimed her hand cannon to every direction, waiting for the slightest disturbance in the unusual stillness seizing the battlefield.

 **"Behind you!"**

"Where-ARGH! Ah… a…" Rapunzel dropped her gun, falling to her knees, her vision suddenly filled with crimson. There was an unbearable, stinging pain plaguing her abdomen, draining her strength.

She wearily looked down over herself, finding the handle of an unfamiliar knife drenched in blood, protruding from her stomach. She slowly reached for the dagger piercing through her insides between sharp breaths.

However, before her trembling fingers could wrap around the grip, a shadyowy, cloaked presence suddenly materialized in front of her.

A Hunter, aiming at her with an elongated weapon.

Her eyes went wide, she extended her palm towards the other guardian in plea.

But then, an abrupt light-burst illuminated her. A loud thunder left her deaf as she was mightily pushed back, landing supine on the ground. The excruciating pain soon expanding to her chest.

Staring loosely at the cloudless sky, Rapunzel made an effort to move, but her body wasn't responding. The corners of her sight started turning black while she desperately gasped for air, choking with her own blood instead.

Little time passed when her remaining stamina began leaving her being.

With her eyelids growing increasingly heavier, the girl exhaled one last breath before falling into slumber.

The pain quickly faded away, nothingness became the world for her as all sounds muted, leaving darkness alone.

Only still, immeasurable and inescapable darkness…

Until a shock of energy violently coursed through her, granting her strength anew.

Her eyes shot open to a blinding, burning light. Her lungs were filled by fresh air with a long, deep breath. Her muscles tensing painfully before she could regain full control over them.

Lastly, her ears were overwhelmed with every noise in existence drilling through her skull at unison.

"Wha… What… What happened?" Rapunzel mumbled between sharp coughs, sitting on the soil, wrapping one palm around her throat. "My head… Everything hurts… It's so loud…"

"You… died. And I brought you back." Ghost said softly, floating beside her.

"I-What!? I-I died!?. I was… killed?" she questioned, blinking repeatedly in disbelief, placing a hand upon her bosom. "Heavens… It feels so awful… Why?"

"I warned you," the construct answered. "While death in the Crucible is not definitive, the pain is completely real."

"This is horrible. Let's get out of here." Rapunzel spoke earnestly, pushing herself off the ground.

"Rapunzel, we can't leave in the middle of a match."

"I don't care, we're leaving," she growled, walking far from her own crime scene. "I don't want to go through this ever again, and I'll kill myself before doing this to someone else."

"Rapunzel, listen to me!" Ghost swiftly fled towards girl, floating in front of her to halt her advance. "Out there in the wild, things are much worse than here, which is why we must be prepared. It is part of what makes a guardian."

"Well… Perhaps I don't want to be a guardian anymore!" Rapunzel retorted, pushing the construct away with her palm, resuming her lonely walk.

"What!? Wait! You can't just walk away!"

"A Warlock has reached half the goal!" Lord Shaxx's voice blared through the speakers, making Rapunzel stop dead on her tracks. "You're all falling behind! Prove your worth, guardians!"

"Rapunzel, please..." Ghost hovered behind the girl while she stood still with her arms crossed. "We're in this together, remember? I'll help you through this, all the way out, but I cannot do this alone. The Traveler, the city. They all need us, now more than ever before… I… I need you."

Rapunzel did not reply, she just kept her back turned on her little companion. But eventually, her arms fell to her sides, and she let out a deep sigh before slowly spinning on her heel to face the construct.

"Ugh, alright..." she answered softly. "But I'm doing this just for you, Ghost… What do we do now?"

 **"Heavy ammo inbound!"** the announcement sounded across arena.

"There!" Ghost exclaimed, vanishing from the physical plane of existence. "Follow the river, near the stairs! It's our chance to catch them off guard, but you have to hurry! Here!"

Rapunzel's hand cannon suddenly materialized in her palm with a flash of light. She held it on both hands, then she started another sprint, following the creek pouring down from the large water tower ahead.

"Heavy ammo available!"

 **"Look out!"** the construct shouted, making the girl cease her advance when a cloud of dust and rocks jumped off the ground before her. Swiftly, she took cover behind a nearby corner, waiting for the enemy to make the next move.

"Titan, with a sniper," Ghost said. "And now he has the heavy ammo all for himself. But, if you're quick, you can vest him!"

Rapunzel nodded, taking a step forth, leaving her hideout.

However, her attacker was gone.

Instead, as soon as she raised her weapon, she found the Titan levitating far above the soil, enveloped in a bluish aura, bringing to sight a large rifle with a small box protruding from its bottom.

But then, when both guardians aimed their guns to each other, the floating Titan was pierced through the chest with a wide spear of light emerging from behind. His corpse was rapidly consumed by fire, dissipating into nothingness as it slowly descended upon firm land.

Rapunzel gasped at the scene, her finding a Hunter standing at the feet of the stairs, his body and weapon wreathed in flames. She immediately aimed to shoot.

However, before her finger could even brush the trigger of her hand cannon, another burning lance cut across her torso in a split-second.

There was unbearable pain enveloping her whole being for a brief, almost non-existent moment until her flesh suffered the same ill fate as the Titan preceding her.

Darkness engulfed her again, but it was replaced shortly later by a sudden energy blast reanimating her dead tissues, alongside the aching of her senses readjusting, growing overwhelmed with the environment stimuli after being completely severed.

"Ugh, damn…" Rapunzel growled, materializing inside a small room filled with rubble.

 **"Two minutes left! You're falling behind!"** Lord Shaxx's voice echoed again through the speakers.

"Again!" she exclaimed, tightening her grip around her hand cannon. She quickly stormed out from the crumbling building, sprinting towards an underground tunnel connecting both sides of the arena.

And once she reemerged at the surface, the harsh glare of the sun forced her to shield her eyes.

 **"Warlock! Three O'clock!"** Ghost yelled.

"Agh!" Rapunzel cried in pain when a stray bullet struck her wrist, numbing her hand as it bounced off her armored glove, making her drop her weapon after the impact.

She glanced at her right, encountering a guardian wearing a long robe, aiming at her with a long rifle. Then she raised her hands above her head in sign of surrender, clamping her eyelids tightly shut while her muscles tensed.

Rapunzel held her breath, mentally preparing for what she knew would be another slow death delivered by a searing projectile… but the bullet never arrived…

"Oh no…"

A subtle hiss in the air reached her ears.

Puzzled by the lack of threat, Rapunzel opened her eyes, finding her attacker standing still, staring at the sky. Thus, she gave herself the freedom of turning on her heel to identify the source of the sound.

Both guardians were greeted with the sight of a Titan enveloped in arc-lightning energy falling from the heavens, plummeting on the ground where they stood. There was a deafening thunder after the striker mightily smashed the soil beneath, creating a massive electricity maelstrom that engulfed Rapunzel and the Warlock, dissolving them into nothingness.

Pain, darkness, burning light, then even more pain. At the end of the now familiar cycle, Rapunzel was whole anew, being reformed beside the rusted water tower.

 **"Thirty seconds! Don't give up! Fight!"**

She let out an incoherent growl of anger as she engaged in another race across the open field, heading towards a building with a large crevice on its outer wall.

"Rapunzel, calm down," Ghost spoke. "You can't just run into a firefight expecting to get all points. You'll only get yourself hurt or killed!"

She paid no mind to the construct's words while she pushed herself upwards through the gap. Right after she managed to climb into its inner structure, her ears picked the sound of nearby footsteps.

Instinctively, Rapunzel hid behind a steel pillar surrounded by green, sharp crystals. As soon as the stomping noises grew louder and closer, she emerged from her cover, raising her hand cannon, encountering the guardian dressed in long robes she had faced earlier.

The Warlock immediately drew his rifle, and several clicks were heard. Yet, no bullets came out from the barrel of his weapon. There was a small pause between his movements before he tossed his weapon away and rose his arms above his head, admitting defeat.

Rapunzel aimed her hand cannon to her enemy's chest. She frowned, her finger twitching over the trigger.

But nothing happened… There was neither light nor thunder, no bullet to end the unbearable quietness seizing the scene.

After a few seconds of tense silence and stillness, Rapunzel let out a deep sigh, closing her eyes while she slowly lowered her hand cannon.

 **"All contesters, cease fire!"** Arcite's mechanical voice sounded through the speakers. "The time limit has been reached, we have a winner. To all attending guardians, step before the stage for the victory ceremony and preparatory measures prior to the next match."

Following the announcement, both guardians remained immobile as they stared at each other expectantly. Then, the Warlock relaxed his stiff stance, bowing his head slightly to the girl before he started walking away, not saying a word.

"Rapunzel?" Ghost questioned, appearing in a flash of light above Rapunzel's shoulder.

"I… I couldn't do it…" she whispered shakily as she stood still with her fists clenched.

"It… Doesn't matter. Let's head to the stage." the construct said somberly.

Rapunzel nodded silently, sighing again while she saved her hand cannon inside the leather sheath on her utility belt. Then, she began dragging her feet towards the large crevice on the wall of the room, climbing down outside the building.

"In which place we ended, Ghost?" she asked after taking a place among the cheering crowd of guardians applauding before the platform, where a Titan, a Warlock and a Hunter stood alongside the automaton Arcite.

"Last place, with a score of '150 points'." Ghost replied earnestly.

Upon hearing the answer, Rapunzel's sight dropped melancholically to the ground as she gently rubbed her bicep in utter embarassment.

"Never, in its entire existence, has the Crucible seen such a deplorable performance!" Lord Shaxx exclaimed, emerging without warning from amidst the multitude, standing beside Rapunzel, who simply glanced up to him innocently. "I trust that your failures of this defeat lead you to a victory in your next match… Or at least make you reconsider your place in the Tower…"

With that, the Titan shook his head in disdain before walking away towards the stage, leaving the girl alone.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do better next time." the construct spoke reassuringly. "We're here to practice, after all."

"Ghost, can we go home now?" Rapunzel asked softly, turning to her little companion.

"Unfortunately not. There are still many matches to be fought today… and we'll be participating in a few more…"

"Ugh, great…" the girl grumbled, kicking a small pebble on the ground while she stood frozen in the crowd of guardians celebrating energetically amongst each other.

 _'This is going to be a long day…'_

* * *

The sun was gone. Instead, a starry, cerulean nightsky loomed over a tranquil Earth.

The first tournament of the new Crucible season took far longer than expected. There wasn't a single soul left in the marketplace, only the cleaning frames sweeping the leaves falling off the trees due to the soft nocturnal breeze.

"Cayde wants to talk, and he didn't sound too happy." Ghost said, materializing alongside Rapunzel outside their jumpship, both landing upon the tiled floor of the Tower as the aircraft fled on its own towards the Hangar.

"Does it have to be now? I'm really tired." Rapunzel asked feebly, rubbing her eyes as she sluggishly walked across the plaza.

"He wouldn't be summoning us if it wasn't important," the construct replied. "He's not of the diplomatic sort. I believe it concerns your performance of today in the Crucible."

"Wait, what!? He knows!? How!?" the girl exclaimed, a deep, crimson blush creeping over her freckled face.

"Every Crucible match is transmitted live through all secure channels of the Tower and the city. So… yeah, your matches were seen by… a lot of people."

"How many?"

"Thousands."

Rapunzel groaned loudly before burying her face in her palms out of sheer shame.

"Fair warning, Cayde tends to ramble a lot," Ghost resumed. "So our little chat with him might take a while."

"This is baffling, unacceptable..." an unknown voice sounded in the air as Rapunzel and her Ghost headed towards the Hall of Guardians.

"Who is that?" she questioned, slowly walking down the stairs leading to the lower level of the Tower.

"Wait, stay here. I'll try to amplify the sound." Ghost whispered in reply, spinning its carcass. Rapunzel complied and follower her tiny companion, both hiding behind the thick wall separating the Hall of Guardians from the plaza.

Then, she cautiously peeked beyond her cover, catching a glimpse of the large chamber.

There was Lord Shaxx pacing around the dimly lit room, Cayde and a strange individual she didn't recognize, who wore an ivory mask with a black hood covering his head, dressed in a long, white robe that reached the floor.

The three of them were gathered around a wide, rectangular table at the center of the hall, surrounded by lengthened, colorful banners hanging from the roof. On the background laid a trapezoidal window showing the mountainous horizon, blanketed by snow and the sapphire moonlight.

"An utter, utmost waste of time and resources!" Rapunzel heard Lord Shaxx's voice loud and clear in her ears, as if she was on the room with him.

"Shaxx, dude, you're overreacting." Cayde answered.

"Fifteen matches took place today," the Titan spoke anew. "She participated in five of them, and wasn't even close to winning a single one! Her highest score was of '350 points', all of which were obtained from kill assists, not actual eliminations."

"Indeed, a concerning matter," said calmly a third voice that, Rapunzel assumed, belonged to the unknown individual. "Which is your suggestion then, Lord Shaxx?"

"A change of position," Lord Shaxx replied. "Clearly she is uncappable of fulfilling a Hunter's duty. If sent on a real operation beyond the safe borders of the city, I'm afraid she'll only endanger herself and her fellow guardians with no real purpose or result achieved."

"Shaxx, nothing personal," Cayde interrupted. "But since when are you in charge of deciding who is and who cannot be a guardian?"

"You misinterpret me, Cayde. A full deregistration has never been my intend. I am aware that she can be of aid in the fight against the Darkness, but certainly not as a soldier in the frontlines, as we all have seen in the footage from today's matches. I believe her potential could be better exploited in non-combat related tasks. For example, I received word that Eva Levante could benefit from an assistant."

"Assistant!? You have to be kidding me! You cannot dispatch my Hunters at your own volition!"

"I am trying to save her life and ours, Hunter Vanguard! This 'Rapunzel' is no warrior. She's a naïve, unexperienced and inept coward! Honestly, it's a miracle that she managed to escape the Cosmodrome alive in the first place! I can only imagine what her Ghost was thinking. Speaker, with all due respect, I refuse to-"

"By definition," the third voice said. "Only the coward is capable of the highest heroism, for the coward will fight despite its weak nature… The Darkness is coming back, and we may not survive it this time. A somber omen lays upon us, but it is also the opportunity for new legends to rise… Our city was not built under a single moon, as this Huntress and many other new guardians will not become the heroes we need them to be in just one day. All songs of triumph have many verses, and in order for them to inspire hope in our hearts, we must hear them all to the end."

"I cannot believe this…" the construct muttered.

"Doesn't matter, I've heard enough…" Rapunzel whispered, parting from the wall, heading towards the stairs with a hastened pace.

"Rapunzel, wait!" Ghost called worriedly, chasing after the girl stomping across the empty marketplace.

 **"Hadn't I earned my rest!?"** at the end of her run, Rapunzel shouted to the slumbering Traveler hovering above the city. "I didn't ask for any of this! You took my past… my memories, and left me with nothing in this world…"

The construct arrived shortly later to the scene, finding the girl standing before the railing of the Tower Watch with her fists clenched and her eyes grown watery.

 **"Why!?"** she yelled once more into the nightsky, a tear running down from her cheek. "Why did you choose me if you knew I wasn't capable of doing what you're asking me to do!? … Please… say something, anything…"

Her plea was met with absolute silence.

Blinded by frustration, Rapunzel pulled out her hand cannon, looking down at it with utter disdain. Then, in a fit of anger, she threw her weapon into the nocturnal void. After that, she collapsed to her knees, hugging herself between sorrowful sobs while more tears streamed down unfiltered from her eyes.

"There was a time, when we were much more powerful. But that was long ago…" a calm voice unexpectedly interrupted the girl's crying.

Rapunzel slowly raised her sight, encountering the stranger dressed in white she spotted at the Hall of Guardians, offering her a hand to stand.

"W-who are you?" she asked on a low, raspy whisper, wiping the tears off her face as she rose from the floor, being helped by the unknown individual.

"Until it wakes and finds its voice," the stranger replied softly. "I am the one who speaks for the Traveler. You must have no end of questions, guardian…"

"I-I do!" she added hastily. "Why was I chosen? What happened to this world? … What am I?"

"Walk with me, guardian..." the one who called himself 'The Speaker' said, approaching to the railing, running a black-gloved hand over its smooth, cold surface.

"We call it 'The Traveler'," he resumed, Rapunzel following him closely as they walked together. "And its arrival changed us forever… Great cities were built on Mars and Venus. Mercury became a garden world. Our species went through a 'Golden Age', where human lifespan tripled. It was a time of miracles… We stared out at the galaxy and knew that it was our _destiny_ to walk under the light of other stars."

After that sentence, the Speaker suddenly stopped. His sight getting lost in the nocturnal sky and the Traveler floating within it. Rapunzel and her Ghost also ceased their advance, both looking silently at the newcomer with expectation.

"But then, centuries after our Golden Age began, something found us..." the Speaker continued, his gaze remaining fixated on the horizon. "Knocked us down and tried to stamp us out. 'The Darkness', an ancient enemy of the Traveler, which had hunted it for eons across the black gulfs of space… Very few survived the Collapse of our race, and those who did, owe their lives to the Traveler."

"What happened to it?" Rapunzel asked, turning to the newcomer standing beside her.

"Legend say," the Speaker answered, parting from the railing, pacing somberly around the Tower Watch. "That the Traveler sacrificed itself to push back the Darkness and save us from extinction, but it was crippled as a result… To this day, the Traveler still hangs low where it made its final stand, keeping silent watch. We banded together to build the last city beneath the Traveler, but we're not alone… Strange creatures, disciples of the Darkness have occupied our lost worlds, and continue to lurk outside our borders, proving for a weakness to end us once and for all."

"Their armies surround us," Ghost spoke. "The Fallen are just the beginning."

"But what can I do?" Rapunzel inquired again, hastily approaching to the Speaker. "How can I stop something that the Traveler itself couldn't? I am no warrior…"

"As a guardian," the Speaker replied calmly, turning on his heel. "You are among the few capable of wielding the Traveler's light as a weapon, they who have the strength to fight the Darkness. And you are not alone, there are others like you, fighting on Earth and beyond. Join them, your Ghost will guide you, aid you… I only hope he chose wisely."

With that, the Speaker spun again and started walking away, fading in the distance, leaving the girl alone.

"I… I hope so too…" Rapunzel whispered, looking down at the tiled floor through half-lidded eyes, wrapping her arms around her torso in sign of unassertiveness.

"I did, I'm sure of it!" Ghost unexpectedly said, spinning its carcass enthusiastically as it emerged from behind the girl, making her smile lightly. "We're in this together now… Let's go back to our room, we need to rest for tomorrow…"

Then, the construct floated towards the Tower plaza.

"Wait, Ghost?" Rapunzel called, still frozen in her stance.

Ghost paused its flight and turned to face her, emitting a low chirp of acknowledgement.

"Remember those Fallen from the Cosmodrome?" she added, her sight deeply fixed on the skyline of the city bathed in pristine moonlight. "I believe I am ready to return for them."


	4. Tribulation and Incantation

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned here**.

This story was made only with entertaining purposes and is not intended to be taken seriously in any social, political or religious context under any circumstances.

"Destiny" and its characters belong to "Bungie".

"Tangled" and its characters belong to "Disney".

* * *

 **Believe**

 **Chapter VI:**

 **Tribulation and Incantation.**

* * *

Golden beams cascaded down from the mountains, banishing the nocturnal void blanketing the wastelands outside the last city. Along with the sun, a solitary Arcadia Class jumpship rose beyond the horizon, piercing through the clouds above the Cosmodrome during the early hours of the morning.

"Fortunately," Ghost spoke. "The Speaker was kind enough to commission a new weapon for us with the Gunsmith."

"That guy makes my skin crawl..." Rapunzel said as a slight shiver coursed through her spine.

"I agree that Banshee-44 can be… unsettling at first glance," the construct added. "But there are few weapons that he has not seen, and fewer still he cannot fix, so we could benefit a lot from being on his good side."

The girl nodded silently in acknowledgment, fixing her gaze on the window ahead of the pilot's cabin.

"So… What's the plan?" Ghost asked.

"We go in, beat up the Fallen and return to the Tower with a trophy!" Rapunzel answered, smiling widely, turning to face her little companion hovering beside her.

"What!? Really!? That's it!?" the construct exclaimed. "We just enter the wolf's mouth hoping for the best!?"

"Yeah, I mean, I was thinking about improvising the rest, that's what we've been doing this far and has worked, so…"

"I was afraid you might say something like that…" Ghost said, looking down, shaking its shell from side.

"Oh, so you have a better plan, then? Please, enlighten me." Rapunzel retorted tauntingly, a light frown contorting her freckled face.

"Well, if you really want to know, I intercepted a distress call from a guardian whose ship was shot down in 'The Forgotten Shore'. Aside of that, there are reports from the Vanguard about increasing Fallen activity near the area. If we can find this guardian, or the ship at least, there might be parts we can salvage."

"Parts? For what?"

"With the Fallen roaming freely around the Cosmodrome, there are very few resources left out to retrieve. Hell, we were lucky to even find this ship. But, if we ever hope to fight beyond Earth, we need to find a 'warp drive', so we can jump to any planet or moon at will. And that Cosmodrome is the only place I know where we might find one."

Rapunzel remained silent afterwards. She merely tilted her head to the side and twisted her eyebrows out of perplexity.

"So yeah, I have a plan, and its better. You're welcome." Ghost said nonchalantly.

"Ugh, fine. You win." the girl huffed, sinking in her seat with her arms crossed.

"I just have one more question, though..." the construct commented, turning on its axis to face Rapunzel. "Out there in the wild, things are much more dangerous than the Crucible. This is not a controlled exercise, the Cosmodrome is under complete domain of the Fallen, and we'll be fighting them on our own, not to mention the traces of Darkness lurking at every corner. If you happen to die here, I cannot guarantee being able to bring you back. So, saying that our chances of survival are 'slim' is an overstatement."

Rapunzel gulped at this, and wrapped her palm around her throat.

"Knowing the risks and our odds to succeed," Ghost resumed. "Do you actually believe yourself to be ready for this?"

She chewed her bottom lip in hesitation, her sigh dropping to the floor. Then, after a few seconds of silent meditation, she glanced upwards at her floating companion with a serious expression.

"We survived the Fallen once, we can do it again." Rapunzel said earnestly.

"That's the spirit!" the construct said enthusiastically. "Especially 'cause we have arrived, be ready for transmat."

The girl acknowledged with a small nod, pulling out her hand cannon as a cloud of sparkling blue dust enveloped her, dissolving her into nothingness.

Shortly later, her physical being was reformed in a wide steppe blanketed by a thin snow-layer, populated with brushwood and abandoned buildings spread throughout the terrain. Large structures, alongside rusted frameworks rose uneven over the horizon, shining under the morning sun.

"I'm picking up heavy Fallen activity near the Forgotten Shore, but that's miles from here." Ghost spoke in Rapunzel's head.

"Why we couldn't just fly there directly?" she questioned.

"Too risky," the construct replied. "We cannot afford to be taken down from the sky like the ship we're trying to salvage. If my memory does not fail me, other guardians have set up a vehicle grid somewhere around here. We sync to that, and we'll be able to summon ground transport from our ship."

"How?"

"I'll show you when we get there, just at the other side of the steppe… and, it's surrounded by Fallen… Well, I'm ready if you are!"

Rapunzel blew away some loose hairs off her face before she started walking downhill, aiming her hand cannon towards the corroded edifices surrounding her as she advanced. On few and far between occasions, she gave herself the freedom to gaze in awe at the clouds sailing serenely above her, until she was dragged out from her reverie by the sudden sounds of the wind flowing through the dry shrubbery.

"So… What happened to this place? What was its purpose?" she inquired while she kept wandering across the prairie.

"Before the collapse," Ghost began. "Thousands of humans would come here to board the colony ships, and go off to build cities beyond Earth."

"That must've been incredible..."

"But now only the Fallen remain, just picking up their bones…"

"And speaking of which!" Rapunzel exclaimed upon spotting a Fallen patrol traversing the dirt road ahead of her.

"Quickly, get to cover!" Ghost bellowed, and the girl sprinted towards a large boulder nearby, crouching behind it, then cautiously peeping above it.

In the distance there was a captain leading the front, two vandals followed it closely, guarded by a huge, hovering, obsidian sphere with a single eye. The members of the Fallen patrol were enveloped by a murky, purple luminescence seemingly being casted from the strange machine accompanying them.

"They're scouting the area," the construct said. "Perhaps looking for the same ship as we do."

"What. Is. That!?" Rapunzel asked on a whisper, staring in awe at the blackened sphere floating across the steppe.

"A 'Servitor'," Ghost answered. "Highly-advanced machines the Fallen use to turn energy and matter into 'ether'. They are strong and heavy-armored, so I wouldn't suggest a frontal attack without proper fire-power."

"What should we do, then?"

"Let them pass. If we get discovered now, every single Fallen in the Cosmodrome will be coming for us before we can get anywhere near the Forgotten Shore."

Rapunzel complied by lowering her head behind the boulder anew. She held her breath and closed her eyes, centering her focus in the environmental sounds surrounding her. Every muscle of her body tensed, she tightened her grip around her hand cannon while she glued her back as close to her hideout as she could, preparing for the worst.

Suddenly, the captain stopped its advance, and began scenting the air viciously before letting out an inhuman roar.

 _ **"DRESH! MOSHUKK! GRROOAAHHRRGG!"**_

The nearby trees trembled, causing a large flock birds to fly away in dread. Then, as quickly as it had arrived, the Fallen patrol stormed out from the scene, vanishing behind the horizon without a trace.

"We're clear. For the moment at least." Ghost said.

"That was close, way too close for my liking..." Rapunzel commented nonchalantly, emerging from her hideout, wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. "Where do we head now?"

"The small building with the antenna. There's the vehicle grid." the construct answered.

Glancing one last time at her surroundings to reassure her safety, the girl abandoned her cover, walking down hastily across the dirt road towards a small, corroded building atop a nearby hill. Once inside, she found a large iron box with many panels and broken screens flickering on its surface.

"I'll take a look at that black box, shouldn't take long," Ghost spoke, assuming its physical form, then casting a light-beam upon the strange crate. "Encoding superposed states, entangling ket vectors and…"

While the construct indulged in its own activities, Rapunzel seized the opportunity to rest and sat down on the soil with her eyes closed, sighing with comfort as she leaned her head backwards into the wall.

During her short break, she pondered about her past, her future, how both felt so unreal, impersonal, almost like a dream…

Three days have passed since she became a guardian, yet she still doubted her role in this war. But there's no turning back now. She was determined to prove her worth, regardless of the cost.

She already had very little to lose in this world anyway…

She opened her eyes, glancing around the room. Her small companion wasn't done with its task.

Soon after, her sight fell upon her hand canon, just to ensure it remained within her grasp. Then she gazed towards the shattered window at the opposite side of the lodging, watching quietly the trees and bushes dance with the soft breeze of the wild, shadows stretching across the terrain, escaping from the sun.

Except for one…

Over the corner of her eye, Rapunzel spotted a dark, cloaked silhouette standing amongst the shrubbery. She shook her head and blinked repeatedly, yet the unknown figure endured motionless outside the building, staring at her with deep, glowing blue eyes.

"We're linked," Ghost's voice interrupted her train of thought, causing her sight to deviate from the window for just a second. She immediately looked back after the distraction, but the strange shadow had disappeared by then.

"Did you see that?" Rapunzel asked, her sight still fixed in the distance.

"What?" the construct questioned.

"There was someone outside, watching us."

"Fallen?"

"No, it was a person, I believe."

"The motion-tracker didn't show anything, and I'm not picking up any IFF signals from other guardians."

"It was there just a second ago!" Rapunzel exclaimed, swiftly rising from the ground.

"Could be 'Stealth Vandals'..." Ghost whispered. "We better get moving. Now that we have the vehicle grid at our disposal, we can get to the Forgotten Shore in seconds."

"How?" Rapunzel asked.

"Come see it by yourself." the construct answered, parting from her side.

The girl followed her little companion outside the building, where she found it casting a blue light off its eye upon the soil.

Then, a cerulean mist rose in the air, filled with shining dust particles, which began to align and converge amongst themselves, shifting until they resembled a rectangular shape that suddenly turned into solid steel.

"Woah… What is this?" Rapunzel mumbled in awe at the sight of a large, iron device hovering a few inches off the ground. Its borders were sleek, and had a leather-lined seat at the middle, with two triangular shapes projecting outwards from its front, as well as several tubes coursing throughout its machinery.

"This is your 'Sparrow'," Ghost replied. "Quick, quiet, and simple to transmat. It'll come in handy for fast-travel across the field during our missions."

"It's... It's wonderful…" Rapunzel whispered, approaching to the floating vehicle, gingerly running her fingertips across its bodywork. "B-but I don't know how to navigate it."

"Worry not, that's why I'm here!" the construct said. "It'll be like riding a bicycle."

"A… What?" the girl mumbled, twisting her eyebrows while she tilted her head to the side.

"Nevermind, just get on it."

Rapunzel nodded, taking a step beside the hovering artifact. She carefully swung one leg over it, straddling its seat and placing her feet in the pedals at its bottom. Then she wrapped her palms around the handgrips on each side of the control board, lowering her head to face the small flickering screen protruding from the top of the 'Sparrow'.

"Um… Like this?" she asked once she was properly settled above the vehicle.

"Yes, you got it right!" Ghost exclaimed enthusiastically, floating towards Rapunzel. "Now, twist the right handle to accelerate. Use the left one to decrease your speed, something advised when you enter curves. And lastly, control your direction with the pedals on your feet."

"Hmm…" the girl hummed, squirming lightly in the seat of the Sparrow. "It doesn't seem that har _ **AAAAHHHH-!**_ "

 **"Guardian!"** the construct shouted when Rapunzel unexpectedly stormed out from there in the blink of an eye with the hovering vehicle throttling at full speed, leaving behind a lengthened tail of fire.

Rapunzel screamed to the top of her lungs while her Sparrow maneuvered unruled across the prairie. The world around her became nothing but fleeting blurs as she unwittingly crushed the acceleration handle in her right fist. She desperately stepped on the pedals below her feet, hoping it would control her reinless vehicle rapidly traversing the steppe.

Her crooked way into the wild led her to a vast wasteland populated by numerous, rusted frameworks from ransacked aircrafts.

A thick cloud of black smoke fuming atop her vehicle disabled Rapunzel from spotting the large steel plate elevated above ground-level. Thus, she unknowingly drove her Sparrow through the artificial ramp that catapulted her several meters off firm land.

Soon, gravity pulled her down, and the vehicle escaped her grasp in mid-air, both parting ways during their short-lived flight.

Rapunzel's rampant journey found closure when she was abruptly reconnected to the Earth. Upon the impact, she rolled over the soil like a ragdoll until her body collided with a bush. Meanwhile, her Sparrow drove itself against a nearby metal structure, and bursted into flames after a sonorous, spectacular crash. Then, the damaged vehicle immediately vanished from existence in a flash of sparkling lights.

"Ugh… Ow…" the girl grumbled as she placed her palms on the ground, slowly pushing herself up to stand. She blinked repeatedly, shaking her head, alleviating the stiff soreness seizing her being.

Once her vision cleared, Rapunzel froze, drawing a sharp breath in terror when she became acquainted with the empty armor of a dead Titan lying beneath her.

 _ **"AAAAHH!"**_ she cried again as she frantically withdrawed from the corpse, not even bothering to look behind herself while she continued retreating.

"Rapunzel! Are you alright!? I heard you screaming." Ghost questioned upon arriving to the scene, finding a shivering guardian hugging her legs tightly against her chest.

"I-I-T-There's-s s-someone there… S-someone d-dead-d!" Rapunzel stammered between chattering teeth, pointing with a trembling finger to the bush in front of her.

The construct parted from her side to investigate, but she followed it closely, timidly crawling on all fours as both headed towards the shrub.

"This must be our guardian," Ghost said, hovering above the corpse amongst the undergrowth. "But there's nothing left, not even his Ghost… And this must be his ship."

Then, the construct floated towards a jumpship half-buried on the ground beside them, releasing a wide, skyscraping pillar of black smoke into the heavens.

"The ship's avionics are completely catatonic," Ghost spoke, casting its light upon the dented bodywork of the plane. "But I may be able to cull its last transmission."

In that moment, Rapunzel rose off the soil, staring at the plunged aircraft, wondering how she could have missed such a large artifact prior.

Then, as the construct delved on its own workings, she turned on her heel and walked towards the bush from earlier, looking down to the lifeless guardian resting beneath it.

"Sorry we couldn't get to you in time," Rapunzel whispered feebly, crouching to pick up a small dandelion amidst the leaves. "And for freaking out too, I'm still getting used to this whole 'guardian' thing... I hope you are in peace now…" she concluded by gently placing the flower atop the corpse.

After that, Rapunzel remained kneeling before the deceased Titan with her eyes closed, paying her respects.

"Rapunzel?" her silent prayer was interrupted by the call of her Ghost approaching from behind.

"I got good news and bad news," the construct said. "I managed to find a map of the entire area in the ship's database. It turns out that there's still a functional warp drive left on the Cosmodrome, but it's located down in the tunnels below us."

"And the good news?" Rapunzel asked, rising from the ground, turning to face her small companion.

"That was the good news!" Ghost replied nonchalantly. "Bad news is, those tunnels are territory of the Fallen. So, the only way to get that warp drive is through the entire House of Devils."

"Ugh, why can't it never be easy!?" the girl whined loudly. "Okay, fine… How do we get to those tunnels?"

"Through there..." the construct pointed to a colossal building seizing the background. Its surface wounded by a large crevice filled with pitch-black obscurity, in which no light was able to unveil whatever lurked within.

"You... You can't be serious..." Rapunzel mumbled, staring wide-eyed at the ominous construction.

"As I said, we just enter the wolf's mouth, hoping for the best." Ghost said earnestly.

The girl sighed heavily, dropping her shoulders in defeat before she began dragging her feet uphill across the wasteland, heading towards the mysterious building on the distance. Once there, she stood motionless at the edge of the soil, right in front of the gnawing void inside the structure.

"Um… How are we going to get there?" Rapunzel asked, peeking down to the endless fall beneath her.

"I can get there easily," the construct answered. "And it wouldn't be a problem for you either if you could glide or double-jump. But something seems to be obstructing the surge of your light, not allowing your powers to manifest properly. We need to find another way for you to get down there."

Rapunzel bit her lip with hesitation, glancing around her surroundings in search for a ladder or some other means to descend. There were no visible results at first glance. But then, over the corner of her eye she spotted a long wire hanging loosely from the roof, seemingly extending as far as the dark filling it.

"That rope over there, I can use it to reach the bottom." she spoke, pointing at the cable.

"That is actually a good idea," Ghost added. "But what if it doesn't go that far below?"

"I have a hunch, it's worth the try. Trust me." Rapunzel answered.

"Not sure if it is our best shot. I only hope you know what you're doing. I cannot assure being able to bring you back if you happen to slip and fall down to your death."

"Yeah, thanks for the vote of confidence."

After that, the girl retraced a few steps from the edge, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath to gather some bravery. Then, following many seconds of mental preparation, she lunged forth at full throttle towards the hanging wire amidst the darkness, jumping with all the strength on her legs before reaching the end of the ground.

Rapunzel screamed during her leap of faith, stretching her arms the farthest she could to catch the cable, wrapping her palms around it as soon as it entered her grasp.

"Congratulations, you did it." Ghost said nonchalantly.

She slowly opened one eye, then the other. Her sight met her little companion hovering beside her. Afterwards, she looked down, finding herself dangling like a pendulum with her hands strongly clamped on the wire, pinching it between her feet as well.

"I-I did it… I did it! **I did it! Huzzah!"** Rapunzel exclaimed to the top of her lungs, releasing one arm from the cable, throwing it into the air.

"Impressive," the construct commented. "But we still have more ground to cover, or go down in this case. I'll scout ahead to guide your way, just follow my lead."

With that, Ghost decompressed its carcass into many segments orbiting around its eye, and began emanating a cerulean glow against the obscurity seizing the atmosphere. Then, the construct started its flight towards the lower void of the building.

Rapunzel took a second breath while she carefully slid her hands down the cable without releasing it, as well as her legs, effectively descending to the small shining dot at the bottom that became Ghost upon its prior dive.

She repeating this pattern several times for what seemed to be an eternity until there was no longer a wire between her feet and she reached firm land.

"Ghost?" Rapunzel spoke, looking around herself, encountering nothing but pitch blackness. She couldn't see anything beyond her nose, the sound of dripping water, along with the wind were her only guidance in the dark.

However, a weak spark appeared on the distance, becoming brighter and brighter as it approached her.

"I'm still here," the unknown glow turned out to be Ghost arriving at the girl's side. "I was scanning the place in search for the warp drive. It's somewhere around here according to the map I found. I just cannot triangulate its precise location yet, something's jamming its signal. I couldn't find the energy controls either, so we'll have to keep wandering in the dark for now."

"How does this… 'warp drive' looks like?" Rapunzel asked.

"It's a small, rhomboidal plaque, enveloped in many steel rings." the construct answered.

"Like that thing on the ground?"

"What?" Ghost's gaze followed Rapunzel's instruction, and both headed towards a small iron device half-engulfed by the dirt in the vicinity, visually fitting the previous description.

"Y-yes, that's the warp drive we're looking for..." the construct mumbled as the girl retrieved the curious gadget from the soil. "This is weird, even the Fallen are more careful with this kind of technology. I wonder how-"

Suddenly, the darkness within the building was replaced with numerous lights of unknown origin, which revealed a wide, decayed chamber barely held together by several crumbling pillars and rusted pipelines.

 **"It's a trap!"** Ghost shouted when a swarm of flying machines descended from above the structure, releasing a storm of arc-bolts upon them.

"What the hell are those things!?" Rapunzel screamed, pulling out her hand cannon, dashing and zig-zagging through the electric bullet-rain falling around her while she sprinted towards a large boulder lying nearby, concealing herself behind it.

"'Fallen Shanks'!" The construct yelled back, disappearing in a flash of light. "Take 'em down before they surround us!"

The girl nodded, then she emerged from her cover, gun in hand, looking down over its iron sight, and pressed the trigger.

The first shot missed its target. The swarm resumed its slow advance towards her.

The second shot barely scratched one of the machines. The maelstrom of electric projectiles raged stronger upon her hideout.

The third shot pierced through a pair of shanks, which immediately collapsed onto the ground, enveloped in black smoke and flames.

"That's right! Keep it up!" Ghost exclaimed enthusiastically in the girl's head.

Rapunzel smiled widely and continued firing against the flying horde of machines surrounding her. Her aim accuracy suddenly improved with each shot, causing a strange, yet fulfilling sense of pride and accomplishment to build up within her as every bullet leaving her weapon destroyed another shank.

It was greatly gratifying, intoxicating even. It highly motivated her to maintain that rhythm, making the swarm withdraw, as it had suffered many losses.

That is until the projectiles emanating from her hand cannon were replaced by metallic clicks sounding each time she pressed the trigger.

"Ghost, what happened!? Why is not firing anymore!?" Rapunzel questioned loudly, crouching behind her cover anew.

"You have emptied its ammo clip, you need to reload it!" the construct replied.

 **"How!?"** she yelled, desperately tapping her hand cannon with her left palm in hopes of fixing its bullet drought.

"Swing out the empty bullet cylinder from the weapon and replace it with a full one! There are many in your utility belt!"

Rapunzel complied and flicked her wrist. A tiny iron cylinder slid out from the frame of her weapon, which released an even smaller one into the ground.

Then she reached down for a pouch on her waist, discovering that, indeed, was filled with many cylinders like the other she just dropped.

She took it, placed it inside the gap it fitted in, and swung it back into her gun before standing up anew, ready to fight once more.

 _ **"** **Agh!"**_ Rapunzel cried in pain when a sudden bolt of arc struck her abdomen after she emerged from her hideout, piercing through her armor, charring the soft tissues below it and forcing her to conceal herself behind her cover again.

"More hostiles incoming!" Ghost shouted at the sight of several dregs and vandals joining the assault, as well as additional shanks replenishing their lines. "The entire House of Devils is coming for us! We have to get out of here!"

"I'm sorry, Ghost…" Rapunzel mumbled, pressing her free hand against her fresh wound. "This was a stupid idea, I should've never dragged you here. I'm so sorry, this is all my fault…"

"I'm sending a mayday through every channel!" the construct exclaimed. "We just have to hold them off until help arrives!"

"No…" she panted. "Leave me here. Save yourself… I'll distract them while you escape… Find another guardian. Someone who can actually help you…"

"Don't say that!" Ghost retorted. "We're in this together, remember!? And we'll live through this! Together!"

"There's… too many of them…" Rapunzel whispered feebly, shaking her head while she stared at the heavens in utter regret. "I don't think I can-"

 **"You can!"** the construct yelled. "I believe in you, Rapunzel! We have overcome unfavorable odds before, and we will again! You just have to believe in yourself as I do!"

Breathing heavily, the girl glanced over her shoulder. The horde continued its slow march towards her hideout, maintaining its unceasing arc-storm raining upon her.

Then she looked down at herself, encountering a large, crimson stain soaking her abdomen.

' _Why can't it never be easy?'_

With her trust somewhat replenished, Rapunzel rose, and fired her hand cannon against the Fallen army surrounding her.

The infantry maintained its distance to avoid casualties as numerous shanks collapsed to the ground, one after another in a constant, ceaseless loop.

"They're retreating! Don't give up now!" Ghost exclaimed eagerly in the girl's mind.

Rapunzel smiled lightly after the construct's remark. Lightning bullets continued flying towards her with no end. Arc grenades exploded beside her hiding place. But she stood her ground, evading upcoming projectiles while also shooting back, leaving more and more Fallen units out of combat.

"Keep going like this, and we might just live to see another day."

 _ **"IKZHER JARL!"**_

An inhuman roar suddenly tore through the air. The firefight stopped.

Every soul within the chamber froze, shock pistols and rifles were lowered to the ground as the swarm of shanks ascended towards the skies, leaving the scene as the entire building started trembling.

In that moment, Rapunzel gave herself the freedom of turning her back on the Fallen army before her, since they also seemed to be taken aback by the unexpected tremors.

All eyes fell upon a large, gaping hole at the background wall of the chamber, from which the strange quakes seemed to be originating.

The girl slowly raised her shivering weapon in front of her as the seismic reverberations grew stronger and closer with each passing second.

 _ **"KHA-ARMISH KELL NRU-UHMORR!"**_ eventually, from the breach in the wall crawled out a colossal, eight-eyed Fallen dropping heavily on the ground, shaking the foundations of the building. The ominous monster was clad in thick, spiky armor plates. It also sported a long, crimson cape that reached the floor, and had two large horns at each side of its head that were projected upwards.

"I-i-it's-s…" Ghost stuttered as the creature approached with thunderous steps. "A-an… _**An Archon!"**_

Rapunzel didn't hesitate to open fire against the colossal Fallen. However, the beast remained unfazed at the numerous bullets raining upon it.

After this, she gulped in pure horror, taking a few steps back as the Archon continued its slow advance towards her, apparently undamaged.

"Ngah-!" Before she had any time to react, Rapunzel choked when the monster caught her by the neck and effortlessly lifted her from the ground, causing her hand cannon to escape her grasp.

It wasn't long until she began to suffer of tunnel vision. Thus, driven by asphyxia, she brought her fist upwards, slamming it repeatedly on the alien arm capturing her.

The Archon growled in what seemed to be a mock on a strange tongue, and tightened its grip around the girl's throat, just enough for torturing her without inflicting a mortal injury.

Shortly later, the monster tossed Rapunzel away like mere paper, her short-lived flight ended with her back violently colliding against a nearby pillar. Its surface cracked, leading it to crumble and collapse in a thousand pieces upon her as she landed unconscious on the ground, being buried under a pile of rubble.

 ** _"Guardian! Guardian!"_**

Rapunzel heard the construct's voice through unintelligible echoes. Every fiber in her body pulsated with excruciating pain, for her strength had long abandoned. Her ears only received muffled echoes while her eyes couldn't fathom anything beyond the thin, blurred threads of light pouring through the gaps between the rocks crushing her.

 _ **"You have to get up! Guardian!"**_

Then, the world around her turned black…

* * *

A loud, creaking sound tore the thin fabric of Rapunzel's slumber as radiant sunbeams filled her vision through her closed eyelids, putting an end to her reverie.

First, she was acquainted with a seizing coolness below her. She grimaced, shaking off the vestiges of sleep from her mind.

She blinked repeatedly, the blurriness in her sight fading while she placed her palms upon the tiled floor beneath her, slowly pushing herself up to stand.

Once she rose completely and her unfocused senses adjusted into the current scenario, Rapunzel took the chance to observe the world surrounding her, finding herself in the middle of a small hall, its walls were decorated with several paintings of animals, nature, people, as well as cosmic imagery. In the background laid a large window showcasing a green prairie inside a rocky valley, which was covered under moss.

The strange place was populated by a wide variety of ornate furniture, padded chairs, tables, tall shelves filled with handcrafted flagons, dishes and books. There was also a spiral staircase, seemingly leading to an upper floor. Lastly, sunlight pillars poured into the room through a huge skylight looming above the thick, wooden balks holding the ceiling.

Rapunzel continued spinning on her heel, her jaw hanging slightly open as she watched in silence the surreal hall with unprecedented awe.

But suddenly, she let out an inaudible gasp when she encountered an unannounced presence standing before her.

She retraced a step in caution. Much to her surprise, the newcomer did the same, at unison.

After the initial shock, the girl realized that she wasn't in front of another person. Instead, she found a large, oval mirror with a wooden frame ahead her.

However, the reflection portrayed on the looking glass differed greatly from her own, for she could see a youthful girl wearing a purple dress, as well as a golden crown decorated by diamond inlays atop her long, blonde hair that seemed to reach her bare feet and extend way beyond.

Rapunzel glanced over her shoulder, making sure she remained alone within the surreal room, and she was.

Then, her focus returned to the mirror, narrowing her eyes as she slowly got closer. By that point, it became obvious for her that the girl in the crystal was perfectly mimicking her motions, despite looking so different.

"Impossible…" she mumbled, looking down at herself, noticing that she still sported her guardian clothes.

Her full-body combat armor of gray and white steel plates, her worn, stained blue cloak surrounding her neck. Everything was there, it didn't make any sense.

Suspecting she finally lost her sanity, Rapunzel decided to perform another test.

Cautiously, she brought one hand upwards, gingerly running her fingertips across her freckled cheek. And just as she feared, the girl in the mirror replicated her movements with frightening exactitude.

"Who are you?" Rapunzel whispered, tilting her head while she quietly inspected the bizarre looking glass.

"Huh, seriously?" the girl in the mirror answered tauntingly, her motions now differing from Rapunzel's, gaining a life of her own. "Of all the questions occupying our thoughts, you ask the one you already know the answer to."

"B-but that cannot be! You can't be me if I'm here." Rapunzel replied hastily, her sight dropping to the floor out of puzzlement.

"We are the same," the reflection spoke solemnly, crossing her arms. "You are me. I am you, or at least what you used to be… Heavens, what have you done to us? At least in the grave we were at peace."

Rapunzel frowned at the unpolite answer, narrowing her eyes with indignation.

"Let me ask you something," the girl in the mirror said. "Does the sight before your eyes pleases you? Because I can tell you, what I see does not please me at all."

"I… This wasn't my choice! The Traveler made me this way." Rapunzel responded shakily, moving her palms upon her bosom.

"And you still defend it!? Why!?" the reflection exclaimed, placing her clenched fists on her hips. "After that… 'thing' unearthed us, forced us to do its twisted bidding! And even after it took everything from us… you still obeyed, just like a good lap-dog. Like a puppet tangled in its own strings."

"I-T-that's not true! Things are not the way you say…" Rapunzel retorted, spinning on her heel, walking away from the looking glass while she covered her ears.

"You are an abomination!" the girl in the mirror yelled, pointing at the guardian accusingly. "A dead thing, made by a dead power, in the shape of the dead!"

 **"Shut up!"** Rapunzel screamed, digging her fingertips into her scalp, clamping her eyes tightly shut as she curled to a ball on the floor.

 **"No!"** the reflection shouted, slamming her palms against her side of the looking glass. "It's time for you to accept the truth and set us free! … Regardless of where you go, or for how long you run, there is one unavoidable fact you will never escape… Warrior. Protector. Hero… It doesn't matter what you pretend to be. In the end, you will always be the same gullible, naïve, ditzy child too afraid to leave her precious tower, whose only goal in her meaningless life is to see some stupid floating lights!"

Silence seized the atmosphere afterwards. There wasn't a single movement or word floating in the air between them.

Rapunzel remained immobile for several seconds before she slowly rose off the ground, lowering her hands while she turned around to face the mirror with a visible stream of tears pouring down from her eyes.

"I… I know…" she spoke on a feeble, breathy whisper, a light smile stretching her lips.

"Then why do you keep going!? Can't you see it's useless!?" the girl in the mirror yelled.

"You are right… I have nothing," Rapunzel replied calmly, her voice mellow with sadness, almost sounding regretful. "I am alone, in a strange land that I will never come to know at its fullest… Whenever I look up to the sky, I don't see any clouds or stars. Instead, I see this… 'god' above me, speaking to me in a language I cannot understand. And even after it gave me a new life, a new purpose, I find the idea of worshipping it obscene. But none of that changes what is right… If I have nothing but what I do in this world… I will do the right thing, for as long as I can draw a breath."

The reflection let out a small chuckle before falling completely silent.

Then, the mirror suddenly cracked, collapsing to the floor in a thousand pieces. Rapunzel took a step back as the world around her started trembling. The surreal room and everything within it crumbled.

Rapunzel skillfully dodged under the wire several rubble pieces plummeting upon her. She desperately looked at her surroundings, searching for a way out, but there was no escape, it was too late.

And just when she believed things couldn't get any worse, she caught a glimpse of an alien shining over her peripheral vision, sensing a strange warmth enveloping her as well.

She looked down at herself, finding her limbs, her whole being consumed by fire emerging from thin air.

Instinctively, Rapunzel started patting frantically the areas of her body that were enveloped in blazing flames, hoping it be enough to would suffocate them.

And yet, there was no pain, but the fire didn't recede against her efforts either.

Then, before she could even react, an incandescent pillar of light fell upon her, seizing her entire visual field.

* * *

 _Light._

 _There was light._

 _The sun._

* * *

It was the first image that came to her mind.

A golden sun of undulated rays hanging low above her, growing increasingly shinier until its radiance engulfed the atmosphere around her.

But soon, the strange brilliance was blocked when two mysterious silhouettes entered her visual field. One was a youthful woman wearing a blue dress, as well as a golden tiara atop her straight, brown hair, and she was accompanied by an old-looking, tall man with a bulky beard, also dressed in cerulean robes.

Both figures were looking down at her, smiling with pride and love.

* * *

 _Light…_

 _There is light…_

 _Solar light…_

* * *

A vast expanse of light erupted fiercely from below the rubble pile, splashing dirt and rocks on all directions.

The Fallen within the chamber were forced to cover their eyes, as the sudden radiance was bright enough to rival the sun.

The strange glow soon dimmed down, taking the form of Rapunzel wielding a blazing hand cannon. Her being was wreathed in flames. Her wounds cured, and her hair waved as if a strong breeze flowed through it, but there was none inside the structure.

One dreg among the multitude screeched ragingly before frantically lunging against the girl with a pair of shock daggers.

Rapunzel calmly raised her sight, and bent her left wrist inwards to her forearm.

Suddenly, a thousand light-particles began agglomerating around her fingers, solidifying into an incandescent knife in her palm.

Then, without moving from her stance, she tossed the burning blade against the enemy rushing towards her. The knife landed between the creature's eyes, which instantly collapsed onto the soil, shuddering madly as life slowly abandoned its body.

Upon their comrade's defeat, vandals and dregs joined in its vicious intend, firing another rain of arc projectiles towards the guardian.

However, Rapunzel swiftly jumped far away from the bulletstorm before it could even reach her. Then she gave a second leap, gaining even more momentum, where she summoned and threw an incendiary grenade at the Fallen army beneath her as she glided airborne.

The girl and her explosive reached firm soil at unison. The small bomb detonated in a thrusting maelstrom of flames amidst the alien crowd. Half the infantry was caught inside the blast, and they were instantly burned into mere cinders while the surviving devils scattered across the terrain.

The fortunate Fallen that remained hurriedly climbed up the walls, sliding through the nooks and crevices, fleeing from the encounter.

Then, Rapunzel started walking towards the Archon, which let out a wrathful warcry as its brethren escaped.

The monster wasted no time to brandish its shrapnel launcher, and fired against the guardian. The blazing shots found their target rather easily.

However, she remained unfazed by the several bolts of molten steel flying on her direction, and continued her slow approach towards the ominous beast, who in turn, began to recede.

Now it was her chance.

Rapunzel rose her golden gun, aimed at the Archon, and pulled the trigger.

The first shot pierced across the devil's thorax with a spear of light, making it drop its weapon.

The second shot perforated its midriff, crippling the colossal Fallen.

And lastly, the third shot drilled through the Archon's head, which howled loudly in pain while its convulsing corpus was consumed by solar fire, dissolving it into nothingness.

Once the last devil ceased to exist, the flames enveloping Rapunzel's body dissipated, so did her blazing, ethereal hand cannon. Then she collapsed to her knees, weakened and bemused.

"Rapunzel, are you alright?" Ghost asked worriedly, appearing beside her with a spark. "For a moment there I thought... I thought that I had lost you…"

"You were right, Ghost!" Rapunzel spoke hastily between heavy breaths, placing a palm on her bosom.

"What do you mean?" the construct asked.

"I saw everything! My past. My tower. My family… You were right about the legend… I am the lost princess…" she trailed off, staring loosely at the ground beneath her.

Silence fell upon them afterwards. The construct and the girl lingered motionless and quiet for what seemed to be an eternity, only waiting until one of them decided to speak first.

"Cayde was right too, you know?" Ghost spoke, shattering the noiseless atmosphere. "What you did back there… Your light has finally awakened! You are a Huntress… Do you feel any different? 'Cause you certainly look different."

"E-excuse me?" Rapunzel swiftly raised her gaze, twisting her eyebrows while tilting her head to the side out of sheer bewilderment.

"Your hair," the construct added. "It's blonde now, instead of brown as it used to be."

"Oh… Really? D-does it look any good?" the girl asked in a feeble whisper, rising from the ground, running her hands through her short, blonde hair.

"Yes… It does…" Ghost replied softly. "But… How do you feel?"

"I… I feel… A… A-mazing!" Rapunzel exclaimed loudly, throwing her arms at the air between small hops. "That was incredible! I had no idea I could do such things! I was so full of energy! I feel like I can accomplish anything I set my mind on!"

"Well, you just killed an Archon," the construct said. "And we got a warp drive! I'm willing to bet even Zavala will crack a smile at that."

"Let's go home, shall we?" Rapunzel spoke between heavy pants, smiling widely. "I believe we've had enough adventures for a day."

"As you wish, Huntress."

With that, Ghost vanished from sight in a flash of light, and the guardian was suddenly enveloped by a sapphire dust-cloud emerging from nowhere, which instantly dissolved her into thin air.

Then, above the obscure depths of the tunnel rose an Arcadia Class Jumpship piercing trough the clouded, cerulean skies looming over the Cosmodrome.

The aircraft swiftly faded in the distance behind the mountainous horizon surrounding the vast territory of the decayed Old Russia, off towards the great unknown…


	5. The Voice with No Time

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned here**.

This story was made only with entertaining purposes and is not intended to be taken seriously in any social, political or religious context under any circumstances.

"Destiny" and its characters belong to "Bungie".

"Tangled" and its characters belong to "Disney".

* * *

 **Believe**

 **Chapter V:**

 **The Voice with no Time.**

* * *

Under the afternoon sun, a small cloud of sparkling, sapphire dust appeared from thin air, which spontaneously shapeshifted into Rapunzel's form. She landed gracefullyon the Tower Plaza while her jumpship docked itself in the Hangar.

"I've commissioned Amanda Holliday to install the warp drive on our ship," Ghost spoke in her mind. "Should be ready for tomorrow. In the meantime, Cayde wants a full report concerning our little unregistered operation in the Cosmodrome."

"Um… Why is everyone looking at us?" Rapunzel asked when she noticed a thousand glares falling upon her, belonging to several armor-suits stopping dead on their tracks while she approached the marketplace.

As she made her way through the multitude, a fellow guardian amongst the crowd gave her a silent nod, followed by a second vitor applauding in her direction, and shortly later, another rose a fist while also cheering loudly.

One after the other, they complimented Rapunzel in some way until every soul populating the Plaza engaged in a unified choir of ovations around her.

"Rumors tend to spread around the Tower rather quickly," Ghost said. "Especially when the headlines involve an Archon's defeat at the hands of a novice Huntress."

"I-I'm not sure how should I feel about all this… attention…" Rapunzel mumbled, forcing a nervous, toothy smile while she zig-zagged her way across the multitude, timidly waving at the continuous, sonorous praises from the other guardians.

"Feel free to rejoice, you earned it." the construct added.

 _"_ _ **Huntress!"**_

Once she left the acclaiming crowd behind her, Rapunzel turned, finding Lord Shaxx standing atop the staircase leading to the Hall of Guardians.

"A moment of your time, if you may!" the Titan beckoned anew.

"Oh no…" Rapunzel muttered, gulping while a cold shiver ran down through her spine. "You think he's still mad about the crucible thing?"

"Only one way to find out," Ghost replied solemnly. "Time for us to bite the bullet, albeit not literally, I hope…"

The girl sucked in a deep breath, then exhaled out. After a brief moment of silent preparation, she straightened her back, clenched her fists and started walking stiffly towards Lord Shaxx.

"Um… Is there something wrong, Sir Shaxx?" Rapunzel questioned shyly, burying her head between her shoulders while she rubbed her bicep upon arriving at the Titan's side.

"Not at all!" Lord Shaxx answered, letting out a small chuckle. "I've received word of your feat back at 'Dock 13'. Taking down an Archon is no easy task. His death will be of great joy to the city in these perilous times. So… Allow me to express my… sincerest apologies, for I have misjudged you… You arrived to the Tower with nothing but fighting spirit. But now, you carry the skull from the master of the Fallen servitors under your belt, and all the honor that comes with it… For as long as I remain in charge, the Crucible will be honored to welcome you."

The Titan concluded his speech by extending a hand to Rapunzel.

She bit her lower lip, her sight lingering quietly over Lord Shaxx's open palm for a few seconds before she took it on her own, shaking it with caution.

"Ack! T-that means… a-a lot!" Rapunzel blurted out rapidly, wincing at the pain of her small fist being crushed by the Titan's iron grip during their handshake. "E-especially coming from you, S-sir Shaxx… Ow…"

"Your victory brings hope to the city, Huntress. Keep it up." Lord Shaxx replied, releasing her palm. Then he gave the girl a respectful bow while he parted from her side, vanishing in the marketplace.

"Lord Shaxx is a veteran from the 'Battle of the Twilight Gap'," Ghost said, materializing above Rapunzel's shoulder. "Since then he has been running the Crucible for quite a while. He's pretty much seen it all."

"What say you?" the girl asked, pressing her lips against her sore hand.

"What I'm trying to say, is that it takes a lot to impress him," the construct replied. "And… Well, you did… Congratulations…"

Rapunzel turned at her hovering companion with a faint smile, remaining silent. Then she looked back to the Tower Plaza, her sight lost on the crowd of guardians roaming around the marketplace. She stood still for a while, merely enjoying the peaceful atmosphere and the soft breeze enveloping her.

 _ **"Ow!**_ What is that!?" she whined loudly, flinching when a strange, fizzing sound suddenly reverberated inside her tympanums.

"Hold on, someone's trying to establish contact with us," Ghost replied hastily, expanding its spiky carcass into a cerulean, pulsating sphere of light orbited by its divided segments. "But there's a lot of interference, I'll try to clean the channel."

Rapunzel shook her head to refocus her senses as the construct delved on its own matters. She glanced at her surroundings, scanning for anything out of the ordinary.

"You're interesting," a feminine voice suddenly spoke through muffled echoes in the communicator. "Not entirely interesting, but you have promise… Guardian, you don't know me, but I know you and what you're trying to do. It's noble, brave even. But out there in the wild, there are enemies you wouldn't believe can exist… If that doesn't deter you, come find me-…"

"Signal dropped," Ghost said, recompressing its carcass back to its original form. "I got some coordinates, though. Venus, Northern Hemisphere, Ishtar Academy."

"Who was that?" Rapunzel asked, scratching the inside of her right ear with her pinky.

"I don't know," the construct answered. "But, whoever it was, she must have access to extraordinary technology to have reached us like that through the secure channels of the Tower. That message came from somewhere in the jungles of Venus."

"Then what should we do?" the girl inquired anew, shrugging.

"We'll investigate tomorrow," Ghost said. "We have to find out who our new friend is and what does she wants from us. But right now we have no means to triangulate that signal more accurately, let alone heading to its source. Besides, we still have that appointment with Cayde…"

After that, the construct vanished from sight in a flash of light.

Meanwhile, Rapunzel lingered motionless in her stance for a moment before she started walking towards the Hall of Guardians with a thousand questions swarming her thoughts.

 _'Why can't it never be easy?'_

* * *

As the sun rose from behind the snowy mounts around the last city, a lone Arcadia Class jumpship pierced through the cloudless skies of the early morning. The aircraft sailed above the tranquil Earth blanketed under warm, amber rays spreading across the four winds during the forenoon.

"So… how far is this… 'Ishtar Academy'?" Rapunzel asked.

"Off the Earth, 40 Million Kilometers away." Ghost replied, floating beside her within the pilot cabin.

"What!?" she exclaimed, turning to her little companion. "And how long exactly will it take us to get there!? No, no, no, let me ask again. Is it even possible for us to get there!?"

"With the latest modifications to our ship, yes," the construct answered nonchalantly. "I'd say it'll only take us a few minutes to get there."

"Wait a second… Are you actually talking about going above the clouds? Where the stars and the moon lie? Is such a thing possible?"

"Yes. It is possible, Rapunzel. With the autopilot and a quick jump, we'll be on Venus in no time. I've already introduced our friend's coordinates into the navigation systems."

"O… Kay…" Rapunzel mumbled, arching an eyebrow, tilting her head to the side. "And how do we… do all that you said?"

"Do you see that lever next to your seat? Pull it." Ghost pointed out, and the girl's sight fell upon a small iron rod near her right hand.

She pursed her lips as her gaze lingered hesitatingly over the shaft protruding from the mechanisms of the ship. Rapunzel inhaled deeply before timidly wrapping her fingers around the red knob atop the lever, yanking it downwards with one swift movement. Then, several lights of various colors started flickering across the control panels around her.

"Better hold onto something," Ghost said, swiftly vanishing in a cloud of twinkling light-particles. "Things might get a little… turbulent!"

"Tur… bulent? What are you _ **WHOOOAAAHH-!**_ " Rapunzel trailed off, unable to finish her sentence when she was abruptly pulled back by a sudden impulse sinking her into her seat.

The jumpship trembled uncontrollably when a blazing radiance pierced through the crystals ahead the pilot cabin. The girl's eyes went wide as plates.

She screamed to the top of her lungs, digging her nails on the armrests of her chair while the world around her continued submerged in mighty quakes for what seemed to be an eternity…

"We have arrived." Ghost spoke calmly.

Consequently, Rapunzel found herself able to move anew, for the influence of the unknown force over her had dissipated.

She rapidly glanced at her surroundings, realizing that the powerful tremors shaking the cabin had ceased as well. The blinding brilliance beyond the windows was slowly fading, giving place to a surreal sight worthy of a fantasy book.

Dark, cloudy obelisks rose tall from several erupting volcanoes populating the endless mountain ranges spread across the horizon, blanketed under a yellowish, clouded sky filled with pulsating lightnings and roaring thunders. Meanwhile, a vast sea of orange waters raged strong against the shores from an ancient city buried under vegetation.

"W-Wha… What happened?" Rapunzel asked bemused, placing a palm on her forehead, blinking repeatedly to refocus her senses.

"Basically," the construct began. "The warp drive bends space around our ship, giving it the punch needed to travel between planetary orbits. In other words, welcome to Venus!"

"I-I uh… I'm not… feeling too good…" the girl mumbled with half-lidded eyes as she wrapped her arms around her abdomen.

"W-Wait! Not in the ship!" Ghost exclaimed.

Shortly after, a cloud of cerulean, sparkling dust enveloped Rapunzel, dissolving her into thin air from the pilot cabin.

Then, when her being was reformed outside the ship, she landed on a small plaza encompassed by decayed buildings with their corroded structures covered by moss. Trees and shrubbery scattered across the terrain, alongside rusted vehicle frameworks, abandoned without further use or purpose, where undergrowth broke through the cracked, tiled floor.

"The coordinates lead here," Ghost said, materializing near the girl's head. "But I don't see our friend anywhere. And honestly, I don't know what to expect from this place either… Are you feeling alright?"

"I'll be fine… Just… give me a sec…" Rapunzel replied feebly, resting her hands on her knees in a weak stance, also breathing heavily to reduce her nausea.

"Stay sharp, guardian," the construct added solemnly, slowly parting from her side. "I don't like us getting dragged out here and not being able to get the lay of the land. There must be an outpost somewhere nearby, perhaps a map, or records about this place…"

"Um… G-Ghost-t…" Rapunzel mumbled, standing motionless, her sight fixed upon the square ahead of her. "L-Look at this. You n-need to see this!"

"Ugh, what is it?" Ghost answered annoyed. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it can - Oh…"

As the construct floated above Rapunzel's shoulder to look from her angle, both became acquainted with the horrid sight of several, lifeless Fallen upholstering the floor ahead of them.

Dregs, vandals and captains piled together before a large crevice which lead into the building at the bottom of the square.

"Who did this?" Rapunzel whispered, slowly approaching to the mass grave.

"Those capes, the symbols…" Ghost spoke softly, casting a blue light from its eye upon a nearby corpse. "These Fallen belong to the 'House of Winter'. About what happened to them, I'd argue that, 'A', other guardians have passed through here before us. Or 'B', we are in a whole lot more of trouble than we realize…"

"I-I really hope it's 'A'..." the girl said with a shaky voice. "What should we do?"

"Investigate this further," the construct replied. "For all we know, there's the possibility of our new friend being the one behind this. If things get out of control, we'll simply summon our ship from orbit and go back from where we arrived, then return with a fireteam to face whatever did this to the Fallen."

"I feared you might say something like that…" Rapunzel commented while she pulled out her hand cannon.

"Ladies first." Ghost said nonchalantly, vanishing in a flash of light.

"Screw you!" she exclaimed, walking towards the sea of Fallen corpses, then cautiously tip-toeing in the gaps between the sprawled bodies.

"Hey, that was rude!" the construct retorted. "And unnecessary, I'd never come to expect something like that from you…"

"What can I say? You bring out the worst in me." Rapunzel muttered after she crossed through the mass grave.

Having reached the building at the bottom of the square, she pushed away a large piece of rubble blocking the entrance with great effort.

Once inside, she encountered a gigantic hall, held together by tall pillars on both sides of the room. Moss crept over the cracked walls, from which wide sunlight columns poured into the edifice, illuminating the place.

Lastly, at the center there was a statue depicting a proud angel, but mauled and corroded, standing alongside many iron boxes scattered around the terrain.

Suddenly, a subtle, clattering sound reached the girl's ears.

She immediately turned on her heel, finding first a thin screen of debris cascading over the ground, followed by large rubble pieces raining upon the crevice she used to enter the building, raising a huge dust-cloud and severing the path outside.

"Well, there goes our way back!" Ghost exclaimed nonchalantly.

"At this point, I'm not even surprised…" Rapunzel said, waving her hand in front of her face to disperse the ascending powder. "Hey, Ghost? Is this where we're supposed to be? What is that?"

"Yes, we're at the right place. Let me have a closer look."

Then, Ghost materialized and abandoned the girl's side, floating towards a translucent obelisk before the statue, tall as the roof, enveloped in a bright ivory radiance. Several strands of light coursed up and down across its entire structure on perfectly symmetrical patterns.

"Fascinating," the construct whispered as it scanned the strange light-pillar. "A conflux of non-baryonic streams… There's a lot here about some war machines called 'The Vex', indestructible, relentless, supremely intelligent… and apparently, they can teleport."

"Great. It's going to be another one of those days, huh?" Rapunzel huffed, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.

However, while Ghost delved on its workings, the translucent obelisk faded from existence in a heartbeat.

Afterwards, numerous filaments of electricity began coursing through the rocks, crawling up the walls and upholstering the floor, filling the entire room with a dim, bluish luminescence.

"Oh no. No, no, no, no! I'm detecting multiple, unidentified signals approaching to us!" the construct exclaimed, floating hurriedly towards Rapunzel.

"Ghost!? What's going on!?" she questioned, capturing Ghost in mid-flight between her hands, holding it before her face.

" **It's The Vex!** Better find some cover!" the construct bellowed in reply, disappearing with a flash of light from the girl's grasp.

With that, Rapunzel lifted her hand cannon, aiming it at the eerie display of flickering rays surrounding her.

Soon after, a thick, sapphire smokescreen started forming around her, seizing the atmosphere. Then, a cerulean radiance appeared from thin air amidst the bluish fog, growing increasingly brighter until it resembled a small sun within the hall.

She placed her free hand before her eyes for protection against the blinding shine which, surprisingly began dissipating, giving place to a swarm of gleaming, crimson projectiles traversing the vanishing mist.

Rapunzel immediately started retreating while also returning fire, dodging through the scarlet maelstrom of incandescent shots flying towards her, then taking cover behind a nearby stone-obelisk.

As the burning bolts rained upon her, the girl cautiously peeped beyond her hideout.

From amidst the cerulean fog came to sight a collective of humanoid machines with thin, elongated limbs. The had large, curved heads and a single, glowing crimson eye, as well as a bright, ivory core at the center of their bronze-like frames.

Rapunzel quickly emerged from her cover, emptying her hand cannon against the small army of automatons before her.

However, in contrast to the Fallen or even the guardians in the Crucible, steel does not bleed. Circuits and wires do not process pain nor hesitation.

Thus, the 'Vex' units continued marching without faltering, unfazed by Rapunzel's counterattacks, paying no mind to the damage they sustained during the crossfire, neither the losses among their ranks.

"Why don't they fall!?" the girl growled, concealing herself in her hideout anew, reloading her weapon.

"I've summoned our ship back from orbit!" Ghost exclaimed. "But might take a while for it to reach us, let alone synchronize the signal for transmat. We'll have to hold them off until then!"

"Argh! Why can't it never be- _ **Whoa!**_ " Rapunzel squealed incoherently when an incandescent beam impacted the rock near her face, almost drilling through her skull, but she avoided the shot under the wire.

Then, her sight fell upon three additional Vex standing behind her, wielding larger weapons than their previous counterparts. These additional units had lengthened horns on both sides of their heads, long tails protruding from their rear ends, and heavy armor plates attached to their left arms.

She didn't waste any time to open fire against her new foes.

Nevertheless, as soon as one of her bullets impacted on those new units, the machines kneeled, casting a bright, blazing aura encompassing their whole frames that apparently made them immune to any harm, for the bullets leaving her hand cannon had no effect over the automatons during their defensive stance.

"What?! That's not fair!" Rapunzel whined at the sight of those Vex units rising without a scratch on their brass-like bodies.

"We have more hostiles approaching from behind!" the construct yelled in her mind.

" **I'm on it!"** Rapunzel retorted, lunging downwards, rolling forth over the floor, dodging numerous projectiles flying towards her.

An incendiary grenade formed inside her free palm as her feet reached firm soil anew. Then she threw the explosive to the small horde behind her, decimating several Vex units in a burning storm.

After that, Rapunzel swiftly spun on her heel. A blinding, golden light began irradiating around her hand cannon as flames spread across her entire body.

She aimed her blazing weapon towards the specialized machines of earlier, firmly pressing the trigger. And with a triad of precise shots, the automatons ceased to exist, being consumed by solar fire.

Rapunzel turned again, an incandescent knife materialized amidst her fingers.

She tossed the flaming blade against one of the Vex units that survived the previous explosion, piercing through its glowing crimson eye, causing its curved head to burst in a thousand pieces with a maelstrom of electricity emanating from the newformed cavity between its shoulders.

The girl smiled widely at her own feat, letting out an inaudible gasp.

However, the beheaded automaton remained standing. Its headless frame enveloped by swirling, flickering rays engaged in a rampant rush towards her, effortlessly tracking her position while it fired its weapon uncontrolled.

 **"Agh!** Damn!" a stray projectile landed on Rapunzel's right shoulder.

She instinctively looked down over her fresh wound, wincing. Her shoulder plate was gone, being replaced by her exposed, pink tissues peeking out from a black-contoured hole in her charred skin.

Then she glanced upwards, encountering the obsidian hand of the headless Vex hovering before her face.

When the claw-like fingers of the decapitated automaton were enveloped with a bright, empurpled and smoky aura, the girl swiftly lunged forth, her knife materializing within her left palm. Her blade immediately pierced through the ivory core of the machine, inducing a whitish liquid to burst out and explode from it.

As the flickering rays coursing through the headless Vex unit faded and its erratic attacks slowly ceased, Rapunzel pushed away the now defunct frame, pulling out her knife from its gushed nucleus.

She breathed heavily, standing still with her free hand clutching her injured shoulder, silently looking down at the machine quivering on the floor.

 _ **"Look out!"**_

There was a deafening sound reverberating across the hall, like metal plates grinding against one another, but uttered as a deep, prolonged roar.

Rapunzel immediately turned on her heel. However, before she could react, a deformed shade fiercely punched her in the face.

The force of the impact stunned her deeply, and was strong enough to send her flying several feet across the room until her back violently crashed with the statue at the center of the room.

She fell to her knees, facing the ground, momently losing her memory about who she was, as well as what she was doing there.

Rapunzel shook her head, then blinked repeatedly to focus her blurry sight. Once her vision cleared, she encountered a new Vex unit, the tallest of all, its frame sleeker, with broader shoulders, wielding a bigger firearm and two additional crimson lights on each side of its chest.

"Guardian! Rapunzel!" Ghost bellowed in the girl's mind. "Our ship is almost here! You have to get up! Now!"

With her weapons having escaped her grasp during her short-lived flight, Rapunzel began crawling rearwards, away from the large Vex slowly approaching her.

But without realizing, she had cornered herself between the statue and the colossal machine, completely at its mercy.

Lacking strength to fight back or even stand, Rapunzel merely extended her hand in plea, coughing blood as the gigantic Vex rose its foot above her while a thousand, malformed shadows with glowing, vermilion eyes gathered around her.

The automaton let out a ferrous roar. She clamped her eyelids tightly shut, preparing for the upcoming wave of pain…

That never arrived…

Gunshots thundered across the hall, there was a subtle hissing later.

She opened her eyes anew, her sight met the large Vex shaking spasmodically, sparkling rays swirled on its whole frame as its crimson lights flickered rapidly.

Shortly after, the machine's convulsions came to an end with a last abrupt shudder dissipating the electricity around it, being replaced by long tails of black smoke emanating from its joints.

"Whoa-No-!" Rapunzel blurted out when the inert machine collapsed upon her with a loud, metallic plunk, pinning her to the ground.

She tried to push the inactive automaton off of her, pointlessly since she, even in her finest shape, wasn't strong enough to lift such hulking mass on her own, much less now that she required food, sleep and proper health care.

As the girl remained immobilized and therefore, no longer considered an immediate threat, the smaller Vex units started scouting the surroundings, searching for whatever terminated the larger automaton.

While the machines scattered over the terrain, a thin, cerulean light burst traversed the air in a heartbeat, piercing the core of an unfortunate Vex unit, causing it to fall onto the floor neutralized.

The other automatons gathered vigilantly around their slain comrade, liquid marble gushing out its nucleus into the floor.

Then, a cloaked figure fell from the skies, landing amidst the Vex army.

Guns roared anew. The automatons released a swarm of incandescent beams towards the newcomer.

However, the stranger swiftly dodged, skillfully zig-zagging through the crimson bulletstorm, flawlessly predicting their trajectory while also shooting back.

Machines were taken down one after another in a series of events leading to half the robotic infantry being instantly destroyed by perfectly aligned shots.

Suddenly, the sapphire smokescreen of earlier returned to the hall, forming around the remaining Vex units as their numbers continued decreasing rapidly. Electric bolts flickered across their kneeling frames, vanishing into thin air with a sparkling radiance illuminating the entire room.

The cerulean mist filling the atmosphere quickly dissipated, leaving behind only the defunct frames of the defeated automatons sprawled across the floor, stained with ivory fluid.

"Hello!? Anyone there!?" Rapunzel called out when the firefight ended, waving her arms from below the enormous, inoperative Vex blanketing her.

She tried shoving off the inert carcass by herself once more, to no avail at first. But then, the mass crushing her began receding, its burdensome weight slowly lifting away from her being until the the roof was visible again for her.

"On your feet. We haven't got much time." said coldly a female voice.

Rapunzel glanced upwards, her gaze met a metallic hand hovering ahead her nose, belonging to a tall woman with glowing, cerulean eyes.

Her face was pale as bone, formed by steel and wire, just like Cayde's. A short, frayed, bluish hood cloaked the left side of her gray, full-body combat armor.

The girl's sight lingered hesitatingly over the stranger's open palm for a moment before she timidly wrapped her fingers around it, being helped to rise from the floor. Ghost materialized beside her soon after.

"Well fought." the mysterious woman said bluntly.

"My thanks for your rescue, kind stranger..." Rapunzel replied, palpating her body with her palms, wiping the dust off her clothes. "Wait, those eyes…"

She fell silent afterwards, narrowing her eyes as she inspected the stranger from top to bottom.

 **"I-it's you!"** Rapunzel suddenly exclaimed, pointing with a trembling finger at the mysterious woman. "I knew I saw you in the Cosmodrome! Who are you? And why are you following us?"

"I don't even have time to explain why I don't have time to explain," the stranger answered solemnly as she spun on her heel, revealing an odd-looking rifle attached to her back. The curious weapon was enveloped in bright, yellow plates, and was ornate by bluish details, as well as small tubes swirling through its elongated machinery.

"That… doesn't make a lot of sense…" Ghost commented shyly.

"Hmm… very little in this world does..." the woman chuckled, her back still turned on the guardian and the construct. "I will, I will… I know." she then mumbled, seemingly to herself.

"'Will' what?" Ghost asked.

"I wasn't talking to you, little light." the woman swiftly replied, spinning again.

"I'm a Ghost, actually."

"Yes, I'm listening. They are here, with me." the stranger murmured anew, looking down. A subtle, fizzing sound could be heard from her direction.

"Who is she talking to?" Ghost whispered, floating towards the mysterious woman.

"Understood..." the stranger said, pushing the construct away with her hand, then she walked before Rapunzel. "Many guardians fell, strong ones… But, of them all, you made it here."

"O… kay…" the girl stuttered, tilting her head to the side while she stared puzzled at the woman. "Why did you bring us here?"

"'They' brought us here…" the stranger replied somberly, her eyes fixing upon a neutralized machine lying on the ground near them. "'The Vex'. Living metal, incomprehensible intelligence. An evil so dark it despises other evil."

"Wait, you are one of those. An 'exo', right? Are you a guardian too?" Rapunzel asked, cupping her Ghost in between her hands when it arrived to her side, holding it against her bosom protectively.

"No… I wasn't forged in the light," the woman answered, lifting her gaze to meet Rapunzel's. "But the Vex must be stopped at any cost, or it will be the end of everything as you know it… Have you heard of the 'Black Garden'?"

The girl glanced down at the construct in her palms, remaining silent for a moment.

"I know the legend!" Ghost spoke shortly after, while Rapunzel shook her head, pursing her bottom lip.

"You, most of all should know," the stranger said. "That legends can be real. This one surely is… The greatest threat to us all lies there, where these… 'machines' are born. Find the Black Garden. Rip out its heart, only then will your Traveler begin to heal."

"Can you help us find it?" Rapunzel questioned, releasing the construct from her grasp.

"My path's my own. I can't." the woman replied, gazing at the ground with visible melancholy.

"If we're going to find the Black Garden, we need to see the 'Awoken'." Ghost murmured.

"Ah, yes. The Awoken," the stranger commented, nodding. "Out there wavering between the Light and the Dark… A side should always be taken, _princess_ … even if it is the wrong side."

"E-excuse me!?" Rapunzel swiftly retorted, twisting her eyebrows. "Wait! How did you-"

"Too late, returning, how many?" the mysterious woman interrupted her as she parted from her side, pulling out her weapon. "Hold position, kill the engines and don't let them find you."

After that, a sudden wave of sparkling, cerulean beams emerged from thin air, swirling around the stranger until it became her whole being. Then, as soon as it appeared, the unknown radiance dimmed into nothingness, and the mysterious, exo woman disappeared with it.

Rapunzel lingered motionless in her stance for several seconds, staring through narrowed eyes at the spot where the stranger was lastly seen, tilting her head like a confused kitten.

"How did that woman-" she mumbled.

"I have no idea." Ghost added.

"Oh… Alright then…" Rapunzel concluded. "So… How do we find those… 'awakened'?"

"Awoken," the construct swiftly corrected, floating towards an inactive Vex frame near them, inspecting it up-close. "They live all the way out at the edge of the darkness, the last place that the Traveler's Light touches… Can't we just stay here with the murderous robots?"

"No… 'little light'." Rapunzel answered, covering her mouth with her hands while she struggled to hold back her laughter.

The construct slowly spun over its axis, facing the girl giggling tauntingly.

"Don't even think about it…" Ghost spoke dead serious. "Our ship is here, let's go."

Rapunzel looked upwards, encountering the dark silhouette of her jumpship looming above her, blocking the sun.

Then, she and the construct faded from the hall in flashing, sparkling lights. The aircraft left the Ishtar Academy through a large crevice on its roof, storming away over the mountain range with a single roar of its turbines, off towards the next destination.

* * *

Across the stirred, blackened cosmos sailed a familiar Arcadia Class jumpship flying towards the wide, ring-shaped cumulus of motley rocks known as 'The Asteroid Belt'.

"What is this place?" Rapunzel asked, staring in awe at the surreal picture painting the crystals on the pilot cabin.

Several ramshackle spacecraft frameworks, as well as colossal iron plates floated aimlessly over an immeasurable purple mist with remote constellations swirling through its opaque clouds.

"Every ship that could escape fled Earth during the Collapse," Ghost answered, hovering above the girl's shoulder. "I guess they made it this far, but died out here on the realm of the Awoken."

"It's a graveyard, then…" she whispered gloomily.

Suddenly, a crimson light started flickering over the control panel.

Rapunzel's eyes traveled desperately in all directions until her vision reached the window, spotting two strange-looking planes flying at both sides of their jumpship, chasing them closely as they traversed the astral, rubbish dump.

"Intruder bearing one-two-seven," an unknown, feminine voice sounded inside the cabin. "You have crossed into the realm of the awoken. State your business or be fired on by order of the Queen."

Rapunzel glanced worriedly to the construct floating on her right.

"Don't look at me! Better say something, you're on the comms." Ghost whispered anxiously.

Frustrated, she blew a loose strand of golden hair away from her face, rolling her eyes. Then, she placed her fist before her lips, and cleared her throat, ready to speak.

"My name is Rapunzel. I am a guardian from Earth's last city. We are here to request an audience with the counsel of the Awoken concerning… the Black Garden…"

Utter silence followed the announcement. The girl and the construct shared puzzled stares with each other while they waited for an answer.

"Conform to my trajectory," the unknown voice echoed within their ship once more. "Any deviation will be taken as an act of aggression, and be responded accordingly."

Rapunzel sighed deeply in relief, dropping her shoulders.

"Looks like we're on the right place." Ghost said, spinning its carcass joyfully.

"Why is the right place always so terrifying?" Rapunzel whined loudly.

The three spacecrafts sailed on the same direction, arriving to a large base meandering amidst the drifting metallic structures and frameworks flowing at the heart of the asteroid belt.

The Arcadia Class jumpship ceased its course over a docking bridge protruding from the façade of the outpost, where it remained hovering stationary while the escort planes continued their path, fading into the vast, purplish fog on the stellar horizon.

Upon the small platform appeared a sparkling, sapphire dust-cloud that quickly assumed the form of Rapunzel and her Ghost.

Once completely materialized, they were welcomed by two female custodians guarding the entryway to the base. Their slim, athletic bodies were enveloped in full-body, onyx-iron armor with broad, curved shoulder plates painted carmine on its edges. Black-leather straps wrapped around their torsos, as well as their waists, carrying a large sheath hiding a high-caliber pistol from plain sight. Their faces being mostly concealed behind thick plaques covering their eyes and mouths, leaving only their noses bare, revealing their peculiar blue skin tone.

Rapunzel took a deep breath, straightening her back while she stiffly approached towards the keepers on both sides of the entrance.

"Hey, umm… Greetings!" she babbled, waving timidly as she stood before the custodians. "I'm the guardian from Earth, Rapunzel! We're here for an audience with your counsel. We already told your friends over there, you know, the ones who escorted us here and fled away on their ships just a few seconds ago. They said it was ok, so… Yeah! We're here, and uh…"

The guards looked at each other, falling silent for a moment. Rapunzel gulped hardly, scratching the back of her neck nervously.

"Follow." one custodian spoke bluntly, both of them simultaneously spinning on their heel afterwards. the girls gave a small nod in response, smiling lightly as she walked between the keepers.

"I've got a bad feeling about this, Ghost." Rapunzel murmured while they crossed a long bridge suspended over a complex network of tensioned cables that entwined through numerous iron pillars rising above the purple void.

"So do I," the construct replied in undertone. "But this is our only chance of finding the Black Garden… Besides, we're way past the turning point, so we'll have to play along for now."

The girl gulped again, remaining silent until they reached a small, circular platform at the bottom of the base.

There was a large, egg-shaped throne on its center, where stood a tall, blue-skinned man wrapped in obsidian, steel plates. A dark cloak hung loose from his shoulders into the ground. His eyes emanated a bright, orange radiance, emphasizing his deep-piercing stare. And his short, black hair was combed in a bang swept to the right side of his face.

"So, these are the trespassers demanding an audience?" the unknown individual chanted tauntingly.

"W-we didn't mean to trespass, sir." Rapunzel responded shyly, arriving alongside the guards to the throne.

"The Queen herself judges who may or may not enter the realm," the blue-skinned man said. "Me? I see no reason she should be available for whatever washes up at the reef. But here we are."

"We've come seeking guidance," the girl spoke, with a bit more confidence this time. "To find the Black Garden."

"Why?" the unknown individual questioned.

"We seek to destroy the Darkness at its heart." Rapunzel answered solemnly, clenching her fists.

"You want to turn it into a battleground? How unimaginative…" the blue-skinned man said, shaking his head in disdain.

"Will you aid us?"

"And why would we do that?" the unknown individual growled, narrowing his eyes as he stepped before the girl, giving her a defiant glare.

However, despite the notorious height difference between them, Rapunzel refused to show weakness and stared back at the blue-skinned man with a threatening scowl of her own.

The guards grew tense afterwards. It was only a matter of time until a punch was thrown or a weapon was drawn out.

The unknown individual and the girl stood still, clenching their fists while tension spread throughout the air like a poisonous gas.

 ** _"Stay where you are!"_**

A mysterious, female voice echoed in the entire outpost, earning the attention of every soul within the place.

The blue-skinned man looked behind him, breaking eye contact with Rapunzel. Once his silhouette stepped aside from her visual field, the girl was able to see the source of the commotion, and the sight that her eyes met stole her breath…

From the shadows emerged a young, beautiful woman, blue-skinned too. Her hair was short, pale like bone, reaching her shoulders hidden by thick, golden plates. Her eyes glowed in a dim, cerulean shade. Bespoke, carmine fabric wrapped around her slender neck, arms and torso under a black-leather jacket, as well as several belts surrounding her waist above tight, onyx pants with a pair of armored shin guards covering her knees to her ankles.

"Welcome visitor, to the realm of the Awoken," the newcomer spoke softly, gracefully ensconcing in the throne. "I am 'Mara Sov', ruler of everything you see. I will forgive your unwarned arrival, but no audience shall be given to a discourteous brute… Bow for me, guardian."

Rapunzel gave a short nod of compliance. Then she crouched, folding her legs underneath her thighs in a kneel-sitting position with her hands upon her lap, while Ghost lightly rotated its shell downwards over its own axis, mimicking the reverence gesture as well.

"Good..." the one who called herself 'Mara Sov' said, placing her elbow on the armrest of her seat and her fair cheek on her knuckles. "Now, speak thine mind. What brings you to my domain?"

"Your highness, my name is Rapunzel. I am a guardian, chosen by the Traveler to defend Earth's last city and take back what has been stolen from us. That is my sole purpose, to protect the only thing I have left in this world… a home…"

The Queen faintly tilted her head to the side in sign of curiosity, crossing her legs.

"The Darkness and its disciples have reached our home. They outnumber us, outpower us. But we believe there is a way to stop them. The Black Garden. If we can find it and destroy its heart, maybe, just maybe… humanity might live to see the light of another day. All I'm asking of you is to point us in the right direction, give us a chance to fight back…"

"Hmm… I see…" Mara huffed. "Guardian of the Traveler, your cause, while naïve, seems noble in nature, even inspiring. Should make for quite the epic tale…"

No other sound followed the sentence. The Queen lingered motionless in her throne, contemplating pensively over the audience, remaining silent.

In absence of a concrete verdict, Rapunzel gulped anxiously, clenching her fists folded on her thighs during a long, unnerving quietness.

"Very well," Mara continued unexpectedly, causing Rapunzel to jump slightly in her stance. "We shall aid your quest, by providing you a key. One that grants you access to the Black Garden. All we require for its crafting, is the head of a 'Vex Gatelord'."

"E-Excuse me?" the girl blurted out, twisting her eyebrows. "A Vex head? Why would you want a Vex head?"

"We have no need for such thing," the Queen calmly replied. "But only after you find this Gatelord, learn from it and conquer it in battle, will the Black Garden prove summondable. Otherwise, you won't survive the Darkness that lurks within its heart, even if you somehow could traverse it without its knowledge."

Rapunzel looked down thoughtfully. A subtle frown lightly contorted her face while her gaze remained fixed upon the floor before rising anew decisively.

"Your highness, consider it done." she said solemnly.

"Best of luck in your quest, Guardian of the Traveler. This audience has concluded." Mara added, flicking her wrist.

"Thank you. We will return." Rapunzel replied, bowing slightly as she rose from the ground.

"Or die on Venus, either way…" the unknown individual commented menacingly.

Rapunzel said nothing on response, but instead placed two fingers in front of her narrowed eyes, pointing them back at the blue-skinned man in a 'I'm watching you' motion. Then she turned on her heel, and started walking away alongside the Queen's guards towards the entrance of the base.

Flashing, sparkling lights flared around the girl and her Ghost, vanishing them from the outpost.

In a blazing maelstrom of flames, the Arcadia Class jumpship began ignition, roaring mightily as it lifted off the docking bridge, and pierced through the drifting rubble-labyrinth into the vast, purplish mist filling the asteroid belt, away to tackle the next trial.

The head of a Vex Gatelord.


	6. The Ecstasy of Realization

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned here**.

This story was made only with entertaining purposes and is not intended to be taken seriously in any social, political or religious context under any circumstances.

"Destiny" and its characters belong to "Bungie".

"Tangled" and its characters belong to "Disney".

* * *

 **Believe**

 **Chapter VI:**

 **The Ecstasy of Realization.**

* * *

Blackened, smoky obelisks rose tall from the volcanoes erupting sapphire lava into the mountainous horizon, scraping the ever-storming golden skies of Venus.

Across flickering lightning-webs and roaring thunders traversed a certain Arcadia Class jumpship, sailing above wild, amber oceans under a vast downpour cascading over the dense jungles of Earth's sister planet.

"I wish you'd check with me before making insane promises." Ghost said.

"If you have a better idea, I'd love to hear it!" Rapunzel retorted, lightly frowning as she turned to her small companion hovering beside her.

"Hate to admit it, but your Ghost's got a point," Cayde's voice echoed within the pilot cabin. "One must be careful when going around doing nonsensical contracts with the Awoken. On the other hand, what you've discovered gives us hope that the Vex can be stopped. I'm going to tell everyone you took down a Gatelord, and they won't believe me! And then I will win so many bets! Speaking of which, I have a thousand glimmer on your death in the Black Garden."

"W-what!?" Rapunzel exclaimed at the transmission, her eyelids fluttering open and shut out of sheer puzzlement.

"Nothing personal!" Cayde resumed nonchalantly. "Just listen, terrible things are still going on beneath Venus. The Vex have everyone here at the Tower worried, all the more so with Lord Saladin's arrival for the inauguration of the 'Iron Banner'. Lord Shaxx seems to be particularly… stressed about it. But anyway! If you happen to find or need anything, just make the call and I'll send the cavalry in your aid. Good hunting, kiddo! Over and out."

"Well, it's official. Cayde is as crazy as we are." Ghost commented after the communicator went silent.

"That… doesn't really put me at ease." Rapunzel added, pursing her lips.

"But we need that Vex head, whatever the cost might be," the construct continued. "If we want to take down a Gatelord, and don't get ourselves killed in the process, we have to investigate how these machines operate. Luckily for us, I was able to collect quite a lot of intel from that conflux back at the Ishtar Academy, I'm already decrypting its data, and… well, the more I learn about the Vex, the more I understand why our exo friend is so worried about them."

"What say you?"

"During the collapse, the Vex transformed Mercury into a machine within a couple of days. They would've spread to every planet if the Traveler hadn't stopped them. Apparently, they are capable of warping across entire star systems in just an instant, but more on that later. First, we must find out what we're truly dealing with."

Following the construct's words, a blue hologram started displaying on the windows of the ship.

"The Gatelords," Ghost spoke. "Three stories tall, with enough fire power to single-handedly erase a small platoon of guardians from existence. They protect the entrance to the realms that the Vex keep locked out of time, sounds just like what we're looking for."

"W-wait, time? That cannot be, right?" Rapunzel inquired, her sight fixed upon the translucent picture of the large machine floating before her.

"This is what the data states," the construct replied. "At first I thought the same, but given what we've seen lately throughout our missions, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if that was the case, because there are additional entries talking about other Vex units possessing similar… capabilities. But I don't want to dishearten you with the details until we get into the frontlines."

"Ugh! Why can't it-" the girl complained loudly, sinking in her seat while she buried her face on her palms.

"'Never be easy?'" Ghost interrupted. "If it was 'easy', it wouldn't be job for a guardian. Besides, you said the same back at the Academy, and the Cosmodrome, and the Crucible, and the Cosmodrome again prior to all that."

Rapunzel remained silent as she glared to her small companion with her right eye through the small gap between her index and middle finger.

"Honestly, I think you underestimate yourself way too much. You speak as if we haven't accomplished the unthinkable before, with every possibility stacked against us. And yet, here we are, standing in one piece. Perhaps having acquired some new scars in the process, but still…"

"… You…" she spoke soon after, slowly lowering her palms. "Fiendish, little widget… I-I don't know how… but you always manage to bring out the worst in me… and I love you for it…"

"For as long as we stick together, there's nothing to fear!" Ghost chanted enthusiastically, spinning its segmented shell. "If I had any arms, I would high-five you."

"Fine, you win..." Rapunzel said, letting out a small giggle, shrugging while she rolled her eyes playfully. "How do we find this 'Gatelord'?"

"The Vex share one mind across millions of units, which I believe is why they react so fast. Each Vex is part of a giant network that spreads through the mantle of the entire planet."

"English!"

"I have detected a ridiculously large emission of energy in a place called the 'Endless Steps', a heavy conflux that I can use to get into the Vex network and lure out a Gatelord, so you can tear its head off."

"Something easier said than done."

"But it's a start, nonetheless."

"And here I was, thinking you had the hard job!" Rapunzel whined, throwing her hands into the air. "Um… the steps, they're not actually 'Endless', right?"

"For your sake I hope not," the construct replied. "Prepare for transmat, I'll lead the way."

Waves of sapphire dust enveloped the girl and her Ghost, dissolving them into nothingness from the pilot cabin.

Shortly later, both were restored in the middle of a large plateau, where several marble-like columns with sleek, perfectly straight aristas rose uneven from the ground. Tropical trees, green moss, as well as lianas crept and hung loose over the angular structures on the stone complex around them.

"What is this place?" Rapunzel whispered, glancing in awe at her surroundings.

"It looks like a shrine," Ghost answered. "But why would they build one is beyond me. Keep your eyes open, the Vex can literally spawn out of any place, and any time."

Rapunzel huffed, pulling her soaked hood over her helmet, and started walking towards a colossal, metallic plaque embedded on background wall of the complex.

Then, a faint tinkling overlapped the splashing sound of her steps on the wet soil. She looked down, finding a brass ring beneath her feet, and suddenly, a translucent obelisk emerged from the floor right before her.

She instinctively backed away. However, as quickly as it had appeared, the strange light-pillar vanished into thin air.

"What did you do?" Ghost questioned.

"I-I don't know!" Rapunzel answered hastily. "It activated when I stepped inside the ring."

"Do it again, let me have a closer look."

The girl gulped as she hesitatingly started walking towards the iron halo inlaid on the ground, standing within its diameter.

Soon after, the translucent obelisk materialized once more in front of them. Ghost immediately approached to it, casting a blue beam from its eye over its crystalline surface.

"This is it," the construct said while it scanned the strange light-pillar. "This is where we'll find the Gatelord. Filtering channels, isolating the signal, sending transmission… And done, I think. Fair warning, I'm not sure what's going to happen next, so we may… want to move back…"

The obelisk dissolved anew from the physical plane of existence.

Ghost quickly returned to Rapunzel's side as she swiftly spun on her heel, drawing out her hand cannon, gripping it strongly while she aimed it at all directions around her, waiting for the Gatelord's arrival…

She waited and waited and waited, but nothing occurred...

"Nothing is happening…" Rapunzel spoke, lowering her weapon.

"Just give it a second, should be here at any moment…" Ghost added. "Aaanytime now…"

The thick downpour raining upon the jungle grew stronger. Loud thunders swirled through the clouds above the mountainous hillside, momently lighting the darkened heavens, echoing across the entire valley with fierce roars.

"Are you sure you did… whatever you needed to do?" the girl asked, tilting her head while she looked at her small companion hovering above her shoulder.

"Of course!" Ghost retorted indignant. "I don't get it, the information was so clear!"

"Look, its fine. We all make mistakes." Rapunzel sighed, giving herself the freedom to save her hand cannon in the leather sheath of her utility belt.

"It's impossible…" the construct murmured. "All calculations were correct. One wrong number could've slipped my checking, but the margin of error wouldn't be so pronounced…"

Rapunzel took her cloak from the base and wringed it with her hands, squeezing the water off it as the subtle hiss continued sounding across the atmosphere.

 _'Wait…'_

"Um… Ghost?" she called, letting go of her cape as she lowered her gaze, spotting a dim, ivory glow shining around the brass ring.

"Maybe there was a tangent I missed?" Ghost kept mumbling to itself, paying no mind to the girl's question, nor the alien light surrounding them. "No, I went through every step accordingly, twice! I don't understand…"

"Ghost!?" Rapunzel beckoned again, glancing upwards.

The sky illuminated for a millisecond as a serpentine tendril of electricity teared through the clouds with a deafening rumble, striking a lengthened, steel pole above a stone pillar protruding from atop the background wall of the plateau.

"Perhaps if we amplify the range of the signal, connect the vectors and-"

 _ **"Ghost!"**_

 **"What!?** \- Oh…" Ghost swiftly spun over its axis, acknowledging the girl's calling.

It was then that a thousand filaments of flickering bolts swirled around the red-hot lightning rod and the rock column beneath it. The electricity continued coursing across its length, descending towards the brass plaque embedded on the bottom of the complex.

Rapunzel pulled out her weapon again when a swarm of light-particles emerged from the plate, forming angular shapes, converging around each other in a convoluted structure.

Shining specks were stitched together by several, thin energy-threads flowing across a translucent web. Electric fibrils solidified into obscure iron.

Eventually, a shadowy mass dropped upon the ground. The whole complex trembled while an enormous dust-cloud rose off the cracked soil.

A triad of incandescent flares penetrated through the thick smokescreen, which then dissipated as a gigantic, malformed shade ascended above the powder-fog, unveiling a colossal Vex wielding a heavy weapon, tall enough to belittle the trees around the plateau.

Its framework black as the void from the cosmos, wreathed in smoky darkness, while its eye emanated a blinding, amber shine, unlike the crimson glow from its smaller counterparts.

"Um… **Hi!"** Ghost suddenly exclaimed. **"** **We're here to kill you!"**

The Gatelord gazed down to the pair, its joints cracking with ferrous scrapings as it slowly approached them, its quaking steps shaking the entire complex.

"I-It looks pissed… v-very pissed…" Rapunzel stuttered, standing wholly immobile as she stared wide-eyed at the towering Vex before her. "W-what do we do now!?"

"Focus fire on its weak spot, the white core in its belly," the construct said. "And keep your distance. But whatever happens from this point onwards, I just want you to remember one thing, guardian."

Rapunzel turned to face her small companion floating beside her.

"All of this… was completely, and unmistakably… idea of yours." Ghost concluded, swiftly vanishing in a flash of light.

A deep, metallic roar reverberated throughout the valley as the Gatelord lifted its foot and mightily stomped the ground, arising a strong gust of wind that effortlessly tossed Rapunzel away like a paper sheet caught in the breeze.

Her short-lived flight found closure when her back abruptly collided with a nearby column, cracking its surface upon the impact.

She collapsed to her knees on the shattered soil, but she wearily attempted to push herself up again, coughing blood into the soaked ground as she did. Every fiber of her being pulsated in pain after the slightest movements. Her head was spinning, her eyelids felt heavy and her ears only received distorted echoes.

 _"Guardian! **Guardian!"**_ Rapunzel barely heard her Ghost's muffled voice through the unintelligible sounds of the environment.

Then, while she raised her blurred sight, a purple spark appeared in the distance, slowly getting closer and brighter, seizing her entire visual field until.

 _ **"You have to move! Now!"**_

As the unknown glow continued descending towards her, the girl swiftly rolled sidewise before the empurpled fireball impacted the floor where she once laid, spreading a storm of violet thunderbolts and flames.

When the purple maelstrom dissipated, Rapunzel quickly stood from the ground, wielding her weapon, then opened fire against the unsuspecting Gatelord, something which earned its attention.

However, the bullets only bounced off the machine's frame, not even scratching its onyx carcass.

 _"_ _I think you only made him angrier…"_ the construct commented in the girl's head.

"B-but h-how?" Rapunzel whispered in dread, stepping backwards, aiming her trembling gun at the Gatelord slowly approaching her.

The colossal Vex then let out another ferric bellow as it leaned down and wrapped the lengthened tendril-like fingers of its free claw around a huge pillar in the proximity, tearing it off the ground on one quick motion, then tossing it against the girl with frightening ease.

 _ **"Look out!"**_

Despite Ghost's warning, Rapunzel stood motionless upon the sight of the large boulder heading towards her at full tilt.

But suddenly, as if on cue, her survival instinct kicked in, and she dive-rolled away from the projectile before she was crushed under its weight, sending a thousand rubble-pieces to fly across the terrain after the column met firm soil.

Shortly later, Rapunzel recovered her footing. She flicked her wrist, and several light-particles began agglomerating inside her left palm, solidifying into an incendiary grenade, which she immediately threw against the Gatelord.

When the explosive detonated, the colossal Vex was forced to yield as a prolific firestorm spontaneously engulfed its entire framework.

However, the flames summoned by the grenade faded quickly because of the unceasing downpour falling over the complex, leaving nothing but threads of black smoke winding towards the cloudy heavens.

 _"Great idea! Use fire against a soaked target under the rain!"_ the construct exclaimed sarcastically in Rapunzel's head. " _Why didn't I think of that before!?"_

"If we survive this, you're going into the trash can!" she growled in reply, spinning on her heel, then starting a rampant run across the plateau, searching for refuge while the Gatelord endured stunned.

After a brief sprint, the girl lunged forth with her body's lower half, bending one leg and tucking it under her rear, sliding behind a nearby column.

Once off harm's way, Rapunzel pressed her back against the rock, sitting upon the floor. She closed her eyes and breathed heavily to soothe her nerves while she gripped her weapon strongly in her hands.

" _You think it can see us?"_ Ghost asked on a whisper.

 **"I think it can see us-WHOAAAAH!-"** Rapunzel screamed to the top of her lungs when four elongated claws surrounded her from both sides and trapped her on a suffocating embrace, effortlessly crumbling the thick stone pillar behind her in the process.

And she was catapulted off the ground, rising towards the heavens as the world around her blurred into an amalgam of motley smudges.

However, as soon as it occurred, her ascension came to a halt, leaving her hovering alongside the treetops encircling the plateau. There, she could lay her sight upon the Vex Gatelord holding her like a trophy, glaring back at her with its flaring, cyclopean eye.

Then, the oxygen filling the her lungs unexpectedly escaped through her lips. She quickly gazed down over herself, finding the quartet of long, blackened fingers tightly encompassed on her torso.

Rapunzel immediately wrapped her palms around the onyx claws, trying to forcibly crack them open. And yet, despite her best intend, the blackened tendrils constricting her chest remained fixed, immovable.

The colossal Vex tightened its grip surrounding the girl, and consequently, she spat blood in spurts as the corners of her vision turned crimson.

When breathing became impossible, Rapunzel made a final effort to escape the Gatelord's asphyxiating grasp by swiftly raising her arms above her head, summoning her trusted knife between her hands with a flash of light.

A deafening thunder rumbled in the background.

The whole complex was tainted an incandescent white for a millisecond when a lightning bolt plummeted from the skies into the atmosphere, striking upon the blade that Rapunzel wielded, charging it with electric energy while she brought it down against the machine's claw holding her captive, piercing it like a hot knife slicing through butter.

The Gatelord yielded anew as a swarm of flickering rays began swirling around its finger, then spreading across its entire framework, forcing it to open its large palm.

And thus, the girl was freed from the suffocating grip.

Rapunzel's back crackled sonorously when she abruptly met solid ground after being dropped from a height of three stories.

Nevertheless, she ignored the pain and quickly rose off the soil, sitting while taking a deep, loud breath before she was assaulted by a sudden coughing fit.

The machine let out a ferrous roar as it approached, unwittingly clearing her chest's congestion.

After this, the girl immediately flipped over the ground, clumsily crawling on all fours while she tried to recover her footing.

Yet, her escape was foiled by the deficient response from her own weakened body, for when she tried getting up or even perform a swift movement, her trembling limbs failed to hold her weight because of the exhaustion plaguing them, and made her fall again onto the soil.

Suddenly, the downpour ceased raining around her, being replaced with a malformed shadow sprawling beneath her.

Turning all she could, Rapunzel spotted the blackened silhouette from the Gatelord's enormous foot blocking the sun, looming above her.

A strong gust of wind blew fiercely on her direction as the machine's ominous leg became a fleeting blur rapidly plunging upon her.

She clamped her eyes tightly shut, placing her hands atop her bowed head and curling her legs against her torso in a fetal position, naïvely wishing it would be enough to endure the attack.

An uproarious crack blared across the wind while a gigantic smokescreen emerged from the shattered soil, rising to the heavens.

Far off the commotion, threads of light appeared in the air, entangling, converging until they shaped a gleaming silhouette hovering low above land.

Shinning sapphire dust turned into solid matter, then her physical form materialized completely, and Rapunzel was thrown back upon the complex, rolling on the floor like a ragdoll.

"Ugh… H-huh… Wha…?" she muttered after the impulse's force fully dispelled.

Rapunzel shook her head repeatedly, readjusting her unfocused senses. And once her vision cleared, she found herself lying prone on the ground, several meters away from the point where the Gatelord stood with its foot trapped amidst the fissures of the cracked earth.

Then, she noticed something odd…

Her fingers, her arms, her entire being was covered with thin, lightning filaments sparkling on her clothes in a dim, bluish luminescence.

Her first reaction, born from sheer dread, was to yelp while she frantically patted the electrified areas of her body, hoping it would suffocate the gnawing thunderbolts as if they were flames.

And yet, the foreign energy coursing around her seemed unaffected by her efforts.

Curiosity gradually replaced fear as Rapunzel inspected herself closely with narrowed eyes to ensure her own well-being, given the lack of pain in her system.

Suddenly, another earthquake caught her attention.

She immediately turned, witnessing the sight of the Gatelord forcibly pulling its leg out from the shattered soil, shaking the entire complex in the process.

Soon after, while she rose off the wet floor, she noticed something over the corner of her eye.

A slight movement, almost like a hazy blur.

When she gazed upwards, Rapunzel spotted a thin layer of powder cascading down into the ground, belonging to the crumbling pillar atop the background wall of the plateau. Its lengthened shadow stretching merely a few meters away from the enormous machine stomping towards her.

Then it struck her, like the storm tearing across the skies…

Rapunzel smiled under her helmet. She began receding in her steps cautiously as the Gatelord grew increasingly closer to the tilted, decaying column above it.

Placing one hand behind her back, the girl summoned her knife during her short retreat.

And once she felt the cold, hard steel solidifying between her extended fingers, she instinctively drew out the weapon inside her palm, throwing it against the colossal Vex approaching her.

Much to her surprise, however, the item she spawned wasn't her thrusted knife.

But rather, a small, round-shaped device enveloped in scintillating filaments of arc-energy as it flied across the wind.

A flux grenade.

Which exploded with a blinding flash seizing the atmosphere, igniting a storm of flickering thunderbolts and electrified smoke that swiftly swallowed the machine's upper framework upon colliding against its blackened carcass, forcing it to cease its advance.

 _"Well, that happened..."_ Ghost said nonchalantly in the girl's thoughts. _"What now?"_

Rapunzel bit her bottom lip anxiously as she looked down to herself, finding that the lightnings coursing throughout her being had dissipated. Then she glanced at her surroundings, exploring her options.

 _'It is now or never!'_

Taking advantage of the distraction, she lifted her arm in the air, conjuring her golden gun with a mighty burst of blazing flames swirling around her body.

Afterwards, she aimed the ethereal weapon above, and pressed the trigger three times, firing sunfire bullets against the decaying column looming over the complex.

The first short drilled through the crumbling pillar with a long tendril of solar light, cracking its fractured surface even further.

The second shot fragmented its bottom, which in turn began tilting downwards as its structure weakened due to the lost stone shards.

The last shot severed the column off its foundation, causing it to shatter in a thousand pieces and collapse onto the ground, falling over the Gatelord while it remained stunned by the explosion, creating an enormous smokescreen that floated into the rainy sky.

Rapunzel crossed her arms before her face for protection against the raging winds elicited from the landslide. She held that posture firmly until the air current surrounding her started to ease.

As soon as all the sounds of the ruckus were replaced with a gentle zephyr blowing across the plateau, the girl pulled out her hand cannon while she waved her free palm to disperse the thick dust-cloud around her.

When the powder-fog faded entirely from the complex, Rapunzel tensed again, raising her weapon upon encountering the sight of the Gatelord's inactive, dented framework partially buried under a tall rubble-mountain. Its eye flickering unsteadily for a few seconds prior to shutting off completely.

"I-Is it dead?" she inquired timidly, aiming her trembling gun at the debris pile casing the apparently inert machine.

"Seems dead enough to me." Ghost replied, appearing beside the girl's head with a flashing light.

Hesitatingly, Rapunzel started walking slowly towards the rubble-mountain, her hand cannon in front of her while she approached.

Once she stood before the debris mound, she began to poke repeatedly one of the Gatelord's claws with the barrel of her gun.

But surprisingly enough, nothing occurred after that.

Rapunzel retrieved her weapon, raising an eyebrow behind her helmet, thinking, remaining motionless as she meditated her next course of action.

Then, having grown more confident, she abruptly smashed the grip of her hand cannon against the machine's finger.

A loud plunk reverberated across the whole plateau before Rapunzel quickly stepped back upon striking the inoperative Vex, assuming a stiff shooting position, waiting for a counterattack.

However, no reaction came from the deceased colossus.

"Holy… s-shit…" Rapunzel whispered, letting her hands fall to her sides as she relaxed her stance. "Holy shit! We did it! We actually-"

"Took down a Gatelord," Ghost completed. "And didn't get ourselves killed in the process…"

"Ugh, good riddance…" the guardian sighed relieved, saving her hand cannon in the sheath attached to her utility belt.

Then, the construct abandoned the girl's side, floating towards the heap of rubble, projecting a cerulean luminescence from its eye upon the half-inhumed Vex.

"I don't detect any signal coming from the Gatelord's frame," Ghost said while it scanned the machine. "So I'm fairly sure that our work here is done. We should take what we need and go get our key from the Queen before something even bigger shows up."

"Um… How are we going to carry it all the way back to the reef?" Rapunzel asked with a light shrug as she walked to the feet of the debris mound.

"Well…" the construct spoke, slowly rotating over its axis, facing the girl. "We only need the head…"

"And what does that-… No… No way, you're joking, right? You have to be joking!"

"There is no other way, Rapunzel," Ghost replied calmly. "The Gatelord is too big for transmat, and disassemble its frame piece by piece will require a lot of time and tools we don't have. I'd gladly help you out on this but, as you can probably tell, having no arms greatly limits my level of contribution to the team. The best I can do is guide you through the process, so you don't mess up any component we might be able to take advantage of."

Rapunzel turned to her little companion with a remarked frown. As response, Ghost simply let out a low chirp of acknowledgement.

She sighed deeply, pursing her lips under her helmet and dropping her shoulders in defeat.

She knew the answer, despite no words being spoken… or even if she disliked said answer…

"Ugh, fine! … I'll do it…" Rapunzel exclaimed, giving a strong stomp on the wet floor beneath her feet before she started approaching towards the head of the colossal Vex surfacing over the rubble-pile.

Once there, she began to forcibly crack open the jointed metal plates from the Gatelord's machinery.

"This better get us into the Black Garden…" she growled as she reached inside the Vex's head for some loose wires.

Then she opened her free palm, summoning her knife in a small, solar blaze, and started to saw off the cables within the alien, mechanical skull.


	7. The Prison of a Want

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned here**.

This story was made only with entertaining purposes and is not intended to be taken seriously in any social, political or religious context under any circumstances.

"Destiny" and its characters belong to "Bungie".

"Tangled" and its characters belong to "Disney".

* * *

 **Believe**

 **Chapter VII:**

 **The Prison of a Want.**

* * *

Mara placed her elbow on the armrest of her throne, then pressed her cheek against her knuckles. She let out a quiet yawn, her eyes fluttering open and shut, struggling to remain peeled as she stared loosely at the long, worn banners dangling from the ceiling.

"Your grace, I request permission to speak." a female voice sounded in a nearby communicator, surprising the nearly dozed-off queen.

"Permission granted, report." Mara said, clearing her throat while she pressed two fingers to her right ear.

"She has returned." came the answer from the comms.

"Who?" the queen inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"The guardian from Earth. She is requesting an audience, claiming to have fulfilled your mandate."

Mara fell silent after the reply, her sight dropping to the ground as her shivering hand slowly descended from the side of her face.

"Brother… she lives…" she whispered apprehensively, turning at the blue-skinned man standing nigh her throne.

"Impossible…" he murmured, equally dumbfounded.

"Let her pass, bring her to me at once." Mara spoke bluntly, raising her digits to her ear-level once more.

"As you command, your grace." the formless voice responded, and the communicator quieted.

Soon after, the queen's gaze immediately landed on the bottom of the chamber. She unconsciously leaned forth with narrowed eyes while she expectantly stared at the entrance of the base.

Loud, metallic sounds cracked across the atmosphere. Large pistons started pumping up and down. Steel gears grinded together in tandem as thick, fume-clouds poured through the gate of the outpost slowly sliding open.

And three silhouettes stepped into the room, their identities being concealed behind the whitish fog. But once the ephemeral smokescreen vanished, Mara was able to see the custodians of the base crossing the suspended bridge alongside the guardian from Earth, walking in between them with her Ghost following her closely.

"Your highness. We have returned, as promised." Rapunzel spoke solemnly, bowing her head slightly upon arriving to the queen's throne, accompanied by the guards.

"Indeed," Mara responded, crossing her legs one over the other. "You have kept your promise, and returned to my presence in one piece. Yet, I see no trophy hanging from your belt. Tell me then, guardian of the Traveler, was no Gatelord slain?"

"Oh, I see what's going on…" the queen's brother commented tauntingly. "There is no shame in running away, guardian. Apart from the cowardice and failure of it, it's an excellent strategy."

"Uldren!" Mara suddenly called out. "That's enough… Guardian?" she resumed calmly, gesturing with one hand for the girl to speak.

"Ghost!" Rapunzel exclaimed, and the construct hovering above her shoulder started spinning its segmented shell like a whirligig.

Then, a flashing, cerulean gleam appeared from thin air before the queen's throne.

However, as soon as it manifested, the alien radiance began fading away, being replaced by a thousand shining blue particles swirling, shapeshifting into various dented, metal plates cramped together in a malformed pile of black iron and bare wires.

A few seconds later, the crooked, obsidian steel-mass turned out to be the Gatelord's severed head falling upon the floor with a noisy rumble that startled every soul inside the chamber.

"We have to find the Black Garden." Rapunzel said earnestly, clenching her fists while she kept her sight straight-forward.

"Hah! But you don't even know where it is." the man known as 'Uldren' huffed.

"We shall tell them..." Mara said, smiling lightly in content. "Brother, search the Gatelord for that which grants them access to the Black Garden."

"Why!?" Uldren questioned loudly, swiftly spinning on his heel, facing the queen. "If you wish them certain death, just kill them here!"

"Perhaps," she replied serenely. "But I think these ones might be resourceful. Often, when we guess at others' motives, we reveal only our own."

"My motive is simply loyalty," Uldren approached to his sister, kneeling before her. "To a people, a queen… and a sister."

"Then, please…" Mara responded somberly, faintly tilting her head to make eye-contact with her brother. "Do as I say, and take what is required."

Uldren remained silent, gazing down the floor as a subtle frown contorted his face.

After lingering motionless in his stance for a moment, he rose off the ground, walked towards the Gatelord's head and knelt beside it, pulling out a curved knife from a leather sheath on his right thigh.

Then he pierced the machine's severed cranium with his blade, cracking its carcass open. Upon scrambling and disemboweling its components, he eventually extracted a small, cylindric device of black iron with a thin, glass lens shining crimson atop it.

Once having retrieved the strange object, Uldren stood anew, holding the artifact high on the air for his sister to see.

"Good," Mara said in sight of the device. "We gift it, in sympathy for their noble quest."

Uldren said nothing on response. Instead he lowered the artifact over his eye-level, looking deeply at it during several seconds.

"Mars..." he spoke diligently, slowly turning to face the guardian. "Eighty-Four North, Thirty-Two East, Meridian Bay. Consider yourself lucky the eye is still charged."

Following the sentence, Uldren tossed the device towards Rapunzel, resulting in the Gatelord's eye colliding with her chest, nearly falling to the ground. Fortunately, her sharpened huntress' senses acted quickly, albeit clumsily, and she caught the rare object between her hands before it could reach the floor.

"Guardian of the Traveler," Mara announced unexpectedly, rising from her throne. "When you first came to us, I thought of you as just another mote of light wandering too far from its precious city… I see now that I was wrong. Under this offering, I show you benevolence. Let this wretched eye seal our covenant. Should the Awoken ever need an ally, I will call on you, and expect you to answer with nothing but unquestionable loyalty."

"She's saying you owe us, guardian." Uldren added on a low growl, saving his knife in its sheath.

"I understand. Your highness." Rapunzel replied, nodding slightly as she held the Gatelord's eye against her bosom while her Ghost faintly tilted its carcass downwards, imitating the bowing gesture.

And with that, she turned on her heel, then walked towards the entryway of the chamber alongside the queen's guards.

"Good luck getting through the Exclusion Zone!" Uldren exclaimed mockingly as he watched the girl cross the suspended bridge.

Rapunzel immediately looked back at him with narrowed eyes in the split second before the gate of the base closed behind her.

* * *

The omnipresent shine of the sun flared far and wide across the obsidian, stellated veil of the cosmos, lighting the path for a particular luminary. A well-known Arcadia Class Jumpship pierced through the constellations surrounding the massive sphere glowing vermillion.

"According to the coordinates that the Awoken provided us, the gate to the Black Garden is located somewhere near the lost city of 'Freehold' that has been buried in the sands since the collapse. Now, the 'Cabal' occupy the area, and most of Mars. It was a good call to get some rest and replenish our supplies at the Tower before heading back here… Can I come out now?"

"Huh? Oh, yes. You may…" Rapunzel mumbled, barely acknowledging her companion's comment, and her focus quickly returned to her right palm, which was enveloped in dim, swirling threads of electric energy.

Ghost slowly emerged from within a small trash-can lying next to the pilot seat, hovering towards the girl, then settling above her shoulder.

"You seem distracted," the construct said. "I mean, more than usual. Are you feeling alright?"

"Who? Me? S-sure, I'm fine." Rapunzel answered, smiling nervously while she lowered her hand.

Ghost remained silent, and stared deeply at the girl in a slightly accusing manner.

"Ghost, I swear, It's nothing! I'm uh…" she stammered hastily before cutting her own speech with a heavy sigh. "Ugh… Am I really that obvious?"

The construct only let out a small chirp as response.

"I was just thinking about the last few days..." Rapunzel resumed. "The Cosmodrome, Venus, The Reef, and now this. It feels… different, from the other crazy stuff we've done so far. Everything is happening so fast, and I still do not understand. Heck, I even feel like a stranger in my own body! What if… What if I cannot achieve what is expected of me? What if, after this whole 'Black Garden' thing, I cannot find the answers I'm looking for? … What will be left for me?"

Her gaze dropped to the floor in utter melancholy when she concluded her lament.

"You're afraid." Ghost spoke softly, breaking the ice.

"Of course I am," Rapunzel replied. "But how would you know?"

"It's only natural," the construct continued. "Because I'm also afraid. Think about it, we have the eye, we found the gate and Cayde gave us his blessing, for what that's worth, of course. If we succeed, we will save the Traveler and return to the Tower as heroes. If we don't, the Vex will seize every planet in our system. But before anything happens, I just wanted to… thank you, for embracing our cause, even when you had every right to refuse, and not leaving me alone in this journey."

Rapunzel opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out from her jaw hanging slightly open. She merely remained quiet, staring with intrigue at her floating companion.

"…I-I… I just… Thank you, for being there, and not giving up on me." she whispered shakily after a brief silence, wiping a tear from her crystalline eye with the back of her hand.

"I'm with you, Guardian. It's been an honor."

"Li-likewise, Ghost."

"Glad to hear it! Once we get there, I'll try to drop us as close to the Gate as I can without setting off any alarm. Fair warning, the Cabal have kept the 'Exclusion Zone' locked down for years, and we'll be hitting them where they're the strongest. Breaking through will be quite a challenge, but then again, cracking tough challenges is what we do. With that being said, are you ready to become legend?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose." Rapunzel responded, picking up her helmet lying next to her seat, placing it on her lap.

"Sound good enough to me," Ghost said nonchalantly, vanishing with a flash. "We've entered Mars' surface, prepare for transmat."

Rapunzel put on the helmet as small clouds of sapphire, shining dust engulfed her, dissolving her physique into nothingness.

Soon after, below the jumpship overflying the martian barrens manifested a bluish, flickering flare enveloped in twinkling powder, which immediately began to swirl, shapeshift around itself.

Then, the girl and her Ghost materialized from thin air, both gracefully landing amidst the crimson desert while their spacecraft took off, fading beyond the horizon.

"Now, this is just great." the construct mumbled, its voice entangling with Rapunzel's thoughts.

"What is it?" she asked innocently, glancing in awe at the endless dunes surrounding her. Mounds of sand meandered as far as the eye could reach. Several, decayed buildings rose uneven over the distance.

And even when sunlight reigned strong within the celestial vault, Rapunzel was able to see remote constellations painting the unclouded firmament, alongside a vast moon casting a colossal, malformed shadow upon the buried city.

"The gate to the Black Garden is miles from here," Ghost answered, interrupting the girl's reverie. "And the Cabal got a lock on orbital communication."

"I'm not sure what that means," Rapunzel said. "But it doesn't sound like good news, right?"

"Indeed. If you want your Sparrow, we'll have to break into one of their bunkers and disable the system manually, unless you're in the mood for a long walk under the sun."

"Typical..." the girl sighed, rolling her eyes under her helmet. "Just point me in the right direction."

"We're vulnerable out here in the open," the construct commented. "And I need to locate the gate. I'll scan for a good vantage point as we go."

Rapunzel nodded faintly and started walking over the slope while her sight wandered across the rocky valley surrounding her.

"Here's what I have on the Cabal," Ghost spoke as they traversed the bleak desert. "Eight hundred pounds and highly militarized. They blow up moons and planets just for getting in their way. My advice would be to avoid direct encounters until we can learn more about them."

"Whatever they've got, I'm sure we've seen worse," Rapunzel replied earnestly. "After what we went through in Venus, I don't believe there's much left that can surprise-"

Suddenly, her speech came to a halt when a blinding, scintillating radiance wreathed in a thick, cerulean mist appeared from nothingness at the middle of the dunes.

"Ghost! What is going on!?" the girl exclaimed, raising her gun against the alien smokescreen forming ahead of her.

"Not sure!" Ghost answered loudly. "But I'm detecting multiple energy signatures fluctuating all around us! 'Now' would be a very good time to take cover!"

Rapunzel lowered her weapon, glancing desperately around herself in search for a hiding place.

Soon, her vision found a large stone half-swallowed by the nearby sands. And without giving too much thought, she started a frenzied sprint towards that boulder, crouching below its voluminous mass once she reached it.

The foreign brilliance grew increasingly brighter until its glow could rival a star. And then it vanished, as fast as it appeared, so did the bluish fog, unveiling the sight of a small Vex platoon traversing the dirt road.

"Vex? What are they doing here?" Rapunzel questioned under her breath, cautiously peeping beyond her hideout.

"You were saying something about not much being left to surprise you?"

"Ghost!"

"Alright, alright. Listen, this might be a bit of a stretch, but perhaps we are not the only ones interested in the Black Garden. Maybe the Cabal know something about the gate, and the Vex could be aware of it."

"But what should we do?"

"There's too many of them for you to take them out quickly. If we start a firefight now, the alarms will go off, and we'll have both the Cabal and the Vex upon us before we can get anywhere near the gate."

"How can we keep going without them realizing of our presence?" Rapunzel murmured to herself.

"According to my topographic scan, there should be an outpost at the other side of these barrens. I can use it to dig into the Cabal's orbital grids and see if they actually have intel concerning the gate. About those Vex, I believe we could slink past them if we take a detour behind those hills surrounding their defense line. All we need to do is stay low and quiet, the outpost is not far from here, but you must watch your step at every moment until we get there."

"Watch my step, got it."

Rapunzel breathed deeply, pulling out her hand cannon, gripping it strongly on her hands. Every muscle on her body tightened and, without a shadow of a doubt, she rose, abandoning her hiding place, engaging in a rampant run across the dirt road surrounding the rocky valley.

A short time passed until her frenzied sprint found closure on a complex of buildings buried among the boulders and dry woods scattered around the crimson dunes.

Having reached her target, the girl climbed down an artificial trench, taking brief glimpses behind herself to reassure her safety.

But surprisingly enough, there were no Vex in her eyesight.

Then, Rapunzel swiftly spun on her heel, approaching a narrow iron tunnel going below ground-level.

Hesitatingly, she entered the claustrophobic passageway, walking slowly with her gun stiffly aimed forth, suddenly stopping before a closed gate at the end of the dimly-lit corridor.

"Can you open it?" she asked, lowering her weapon, running her palm over the door in search for some way to open it.

"Let me have a closer look." Ghost replied, materializing above the girl's shoulder, casting a blue light upon the electronic lock near the gate.

A few seconds passed, and the thick steel plates forming the door slid apart, revealing large warehouse leading deeper into the entrails of the outpost.

"Hmm. Easier than I thought..." the construct said, returning to the guardian's side. "Ladies first."

Rapunzel sighed, rolling her eyes under her helmet while she crossed the gate, raising her hand cannon.

"Keep your eyes peeled," Ghost spoke. "Weird things tend to happen after I scan something."

"Isn't anybody home?" Rapunzel questioned as they continued infiltrating the outpost. "Everything seems awfully quiet."

"Unlikely," the construct answered. "However, whether we're going truly unnoticed, or the Cabal are leading us into a trap, we must take the opportunity to get as far as we can before hell breaks loose. We will need every advantage we can get."

"Makes sense, I suppose," the girl added with a faint shrug. "But now that we're inside, what comes next?"

"The most logical step would be to look out for something I can access... That one! Let's try that terminal."

Ghost abruptly hovered towards a flat monitor at the bottom of the warehouse. Its broad screen displaying strange, shapeshifting symbols emanating a dim, golden glow. Beneath it, there was a huge console with several buttons blinking on its surface.

"Access key? I don't need an access key," the construct mumbled, projecting a blue light-beam over the control panel. "DOS is more complicated. Let's see if they actually know something about the gate."

As her Ghost delved on its own workings, Rapunzel took the opportunity to calmly observe the room around her.

Large iron boxes and cylindric tanks laid sprawled across the floor, alongside many sand piles accumulated at the corners. Several luminaries hung loosely from the roof, filling the warehouse with a pristine, almost burning light while emitting a low, buzzing noise in the background. Various vents in the walls continuously expelled white fume into the air.

"Found anything?" she asked after she finished contemplating the chamber, standing behind her tiny companion.

"There's a lot here, it's impressive," Ghost replied, withdrawing from the console, facing Rapunzel. "Apparently, the Cabal managed to penetrate through the Vex cognition mesh, but I'm not sure they even understand what the gate is."

"So…"

"It's rather simple, actually. If we want to get inside the Black Garden, we'll have to go through the Cabal first."

Following the sentence, the luminaries of the warehouse unexpectedly went out, and the monitor shut down as well, leaving the chamber submerged in utter darkness.

The girl distressfully glanced at her surroundings, searching for an illumination source, encountering nothing but void beyond her personal space instead. Even the ground beneath her feet remained concealed under an endless stream of obscurity, with the only exception being Ghost's shell irradiating a feeble, cerulean glow ahead her face.

"Oh… Well…" the construct's voice sounded through the blackness enveloping them. "If they didn't already know we were coming, they do now."

"Ghost, what did you do?" Rapunzel asked earnestly.

"Please don't be mad," Ghost answered shyly, vanishing in a flash. _"But I may have accidentally initiated a failsafe."_

"Ghost! I swear that I'm going to-"

A loud, mechanical noise suddenly echoed across the room, drowning out the girl's speech.

Then, a thin light-thread appeared on the bottom of the warehouse, extending from the floor to the ceiling.

The alien glow continued growing wider and brighter with each second until the entire background wall was replaced by an incandescent screen of dazzling brilliance pouring inside the chamber.

And soon after, a swarm of blazing bullets pierced through the atmosphere into the vast room.

 _ **"Whoa-!"**_ Rapunzel squealed incoherently when a red-hot projectile sharply scraped the top of her helm and hood. Fortunately, she lowered her head in time, reducing the taken damage to a minor scratch on her helmet, as well as her cloak being mildly burnt.

Recovering from the impact, she retreated, pulling out her hand cannon, and opened fire against the hulking shadows traversing the blinding veil at the background.

 _"I guess they are the failsafe!"_ Ghost exclaimed in the girl's thoughts while she dodged a maelstrom of incandescent bullets flying towards her.

"Are those the 'Cabal'!?" Rapunzel retorted with a shout, crouching behind one of the large iron boxes dispersed across the chamber.

 _"Can't tell by just looking!? Why don't you ask them!?"_

The girl ignored her companion's taunt. Then, she carefully peeped above her cover, spotting a large group of tall, humanoid beings clad in thick, green armor plating and paddings, wielding enormous pistol-like weapons that shot burning bullets at a bewilderingly fast rate.

"Right, dumb question…" Rapunzel murmured, ducking underneath her hideout again. "Listen, I'm open to any suggestion that doesn't involve us getting killed by those things!"

 _"Well, since we're on a clear disadvantage here,"_ Ghost said. _"And we already got the intel we needed, a tactical retreat would the most appropriate course of action in this scenario. It'll be wise to save our energies and ammunition for whatever awaits us at the Black Garden."_

"So we just run!?"

 _"Don't wait around on my account!"_

Rapunzel breathed deeply upon hearing the answer, gripping her weapon strongly.

"Alright, here goes nothing…" she huffed, cold sweat appearing on her forehead. She released one hand from her gun, and a swarm of embers materialized inside her free palm, solidifying into an incendiary grenade, which she sneakily threw against the alien battalion marching towards her.

Then she closed her eyes, solely focusing her attention in the faint, tinkling noise of the small explosive rolling over the floor.

Meanwhile, the Cabal troops at the other side formed a nigh-impenetrable wall around the tiny bomb on the ground with massive shields carried by some special units among their ranks.

The grenade detonated, spreading blazing flames that gnawed the few, unfortunate soldiers within its range.

Taking advantage of the commotion, Rapunzel swiftly abandoned her cover, raising her hand cannon, shooting towards the alien crowd.

The bullets drilled through the visorless helmet of a distracted Cabal, causing it to fly across the air, propelled by a blackened viscosity gushing off of it.

"Yuck! Gross!" the girl exclaimed, shivering at the image from the monster's grey-skinned head that was concealed underneath its now lost helm, showing its small, dark eyes, as well as its pyramid-shaped upper lip which left its crimson gums and sharp teeth bare to the wind.

 _"That will hold them off! There's our window!"_ Ghost shouted in the guardian's mind.

It took only seconds until the wounded Cabal fell lifeless to the floor.

In that moment, Rapunzel on over her heel, and started another race in the opposite direction, heading towards the corridor from which they entered the warehouse.

But her escape was halted when a sudden energy-wave traveling across the ground pushed her back into the battlefield. Her body violently crashing against a pile of boxes stacked on a nearby corner.

She fell to her knees, facing the soil. There was a loud buzzing in her ears, her sight was blurred, and she had difficulties to breathe. She shook her head, alleviating her malaise, since it felt abnormally light.

Then she gazed upwards, blinking several times, finding more Cabal blocking her path.

However, these new units differed from the others she faced before, for these ones were shorter, with slimmer bodies, thinner limbs carrying the same weapons as their larger counterparts and, across the joints of their armors flowed a strange substance glowing purple.

 _"Well, I did not expect that..."_ the construct commented nonchalantly. _"Listen, I have a plan. It's risky, but it might just work with proper timing. All you gotta' do is take those four out of our way as fast as possible so we can escape. Remember, we only have one chance at this, you'll have to be patient and wait for my signal, got it?"_

"…Fine…" Rapunzel whispered between sharp breaths. "But, whatever you're planning to do… it better be quick."

The quartet of slender creatures gathered around the girl, growling on an unintelligible dialect.

She glanced above her shoulder, encountering the alien army approaching her at an excruciatingly slow pace.

"Ghost?" Rapunzel murmured, attempting to get up from the floor, but her weakened legs weren't responding accordingly.

 _"Not yet. Just a little longer."_ Ghost responded abruptly.

Soon after, the girl looked again at the svelte Cabal standing ahead her, and she placed her left hand behind her back, summoning her knife.

"Ghost!?" she raised her voice, grinding her teeth.

 _"One."_ the construct counted. The slender creatures cautiously stepped closer.

Rapunzel could sense faint reverberations in the ground beneath her feet from the larger cabal troops stomping towards her.

 _"Two."_

The girl's fingers wrapping around her blade twitched with anxiety as an alien rifle came to hover in front of her nose.

 **"Ghost!"**

 _ **"Now!"**_

Rapunzel immediately lunged against the svelte Cabal, pushing its weapon away from her face with a swing of her own pistol while she lifted her knife high on the air, swiftly bringing it down in an earthward thrust.

The creature let out a painful howl, convulsing erratically when the blade pierced through its helm, sinking deep into the top of its head. Rapunzel twisted the knife inside its skull, and consequently, its erratic spasms slowly stopped.

Then, as she pulled her blade off the corpse, she rose her hand cannon, pointing it at the other svelte Cabal troopers before her. And suddenly, a golden fire sparkled around her gun, which rapidly spread across her figure until her whole being was wreathed in flames.

Rapunzel pressed the trigger three times, one for each creature standing in her way. A triad of wide light-spears emerged from the weapon, breaking through the aliens' armors and flesh, dissolving their bodies into nothingness with solar energy.

 _"That was incredible, Rapunzel!"_ Ghost exclaimed enthusiastically. _"Now, broaden the distance between us and them with a double jump, I'll seal the door behind us once we get back to the surface!"_

In the split-second where the blazing fire enveloping her being faded, Rapunzel turned, facing the small army pursuing her.

She moved her hand cannon upwards, firing her gun, yet not against her foes. Instead, the bullet severed a long cable hanging from the roof on its way for the heavens, causing one of the luminaries to plummet into the ground.

The enormous lamp shattered in a thousand pieces upon the impact. The room became darker because of the missing light-source as numerous glass-shards flied on all directions, forcing the Cabal to cease their advance.

The girl smiled widely under her helmet. Then, while the alien troops endured stunned from the disturbance, she spun again, making a light squat and, using her remaining energies, leapt into the air. Her body irradiating a faint, bluish luminescence in the course of her jump.

Unfortunately, her ascension was abruptly halted by a mighty tug on her neck, pulling her down. Her back crackling sonorously from the collision after she was forcibly reconnected to the ground.

And she was dragged over the floor as the asphyxiating yanking surrounding her throat continued.

Rapunzel clamped her hands around the noose suffocating her, attempting to loosen it, but it was too strong. Her weapon escaping her grasp during the struggle.

Then she was struck with realization…

The alien rope choking her, it resulted to be her own cape!

After her discovery, Rapunzel instinctively gazed upwards from her supine position, finding a Cabal soldier holding her by the base of her cloak with its blackened, four-fingered claw.

However, when she became aware of the monster's intent, there was nothing she could do.

And she was effortlessly tossed back into the crowd, rolling on the soil like a ragdoll before her body lost all momentum.

Weakened and bemused, the girl stared loosely at the ceiling, her eyes meeting the incandescent light of the residual luminary, in contrast to several fuzzy smudges looming all around her.

She blinked repeatedly, hoping it would clear her unfocused sight, but it didn't result.

Later, she tried to move her arms, she centered all her willpower on standing up. Yet, her limbs never reacted, only allowing her to place her hand ahead her eyes, for protection against such blinding shine burning her pupils.

Rapunzel wanted to scream. Nevertheless, from the top of her lungs just emerged a soft breath, as she was virtually knocked out.

 _"Rapunzel!? Get up! You have to move!"_ Ghost's distorted voice sounded inside her ears, echoing through the muffled sounds of the battle.

Then, before she could even react, a sudden, hazy blur entered her visual field, which soon turned out to be a dark, alien fist violently colliding with her face.

Her helmet bounced mightily on the floor upon the impact. She heard, and felt something crackle in her head when an acute pain revitalized her dull senses.

The strike was strong enough to stun Rapunzel deeply, momently making her lose her memory about who she was, as well as what she was doing there.

In that moment, the air filling the her lungs unexpectedly escaped her lips when a colossal foot abruptly fell upon her abdomen. Rapunzel immediately wrapped her arms around her belly, wincing, curling into a ball on the ground. A stinging, pulsating ache rapidly spread across her gut while she was assaulted by a coughing fit.

However, a second pain-wave suddenly seized a different section of her body, followed soon by another, and another. One after the other in a constant loop, until the world surrounding her became nothing but constant suffering.

As she laid in fetal position upon the floor, the girl cautiously opened her eyes, looking above. Her sight found several, blurred shadows shapeshifting all around her, obscured by the incandescent luminary shining from behind them.

It didn't take long for her to realize, during the split-seconds between each new strike bruising her body, that the Cabal soldiers were beating her, pounding her like a butcher hammering a piece of raw meat.

Rapunzel instinctively placed her hands atop her bowed head, bending her legs against her torso on a desperate attempt to diminish the excruciating soreness plaguing her.

She clamped her eyelids tightly shut while she endured the ceaseless abuse.

The pain… She couldn't take it anymore.

She had to act quickly, or it would be the end.

But then… there was light.

A deafening thunder reverberated across the entire chamber, followed immediately by a vast, rapidly-spreading blast of electricity emerging from thin air, exploding amidst the Cabal army.

The whole room was covered under a blinding, cerulean luminescence as the massive lightning maelstrom swiftly engulfed the alien troops surrounding it. Several, serpentine tendrils of arc-energy pierced through those that were caught within its fast-increasing range, spontaneously dissolving their bodies into nothingness.

The surviving Cabal soldiers quickly retreated from the electric vortex. A few seconds later, the maelstrom began to dim.

After that, while she laid in the middle of the alien crowd, Rapunzel slowly rose from the ground, seemingly unharmed, wielding a newfound power.

Being as confused as her foes, she looked around, finding herself standing at the center of a wall formed with several shields carried by the special units among the Cabal ranks. Then, she calmly glanced down over her own body. Her strength was inexplicably renewed, enhanced, and there wasn't a single trace of neither pain nor wounds across her whole being.

Aside from all that, her trusted knife had spawned in her tightly clutched palm, even when she couldn't remember having drawn it out earlier. However, its blade shone incandescently with electric, bluish filaments flickering on its surface, just like her fingertips, her arm, and the rest of her anatomy.

"Were it so easy…" Rapunzel whispered, raising her sight to face the alien army ahead her. "Go on. I'm not afraid of you…"

Following the sentence, one Cabal soldier uttered a loud, inhuman roar before parting from the multitude, lunging towards her with a blackened fist held high in the air.

The beast swiftly threw its clenched claw forth, aiming for the girl's face.

Nonetheless, she ducked her head under the alien's arm as it crossed over the top of her helmet, easily dodging the strike since, from her own perspective, time seemed to run slower during that brief instant.

Having found an opening, Rapunzel quickly swung her electrified knife upwards, its sharp edge effortlessly slicing through metal and flesh, inflicting a long, deep cut in the place where a human's serratus anterior muscle would be located.

Suddenly, sparkling filaments of arc-energy spread across the Cabal soldier's body, emerging from within the glowing, gaping wound on its side. It wasn't long until the alien was consumed by a gnawing, lightning maelstrom that faded as fast as it appeared, leaving no remnant of the beast behind.

When her foe ceased to exist, Rapunzel calmly turned, centering her focus in the remaining Cabal troops in front of her, who had rose their shields against her.

She took a deep breath, tightly clutching her electrified knife as she held it on a reverse grip. Then, after a few seconds of silent preparation, she stiffened her fighting stance before swiftly lunging forward to the alien army blocking her path.

In that moment, the girl was enveloped by threads of cerulean light appearing from nowhere, galvanizing her movements and speed, turning her body intangible like a wraith haunting a graveyard.

War-cries filled the chamber when the Cabal troops released a bulletstorm upon the guardian approaching to them at full pelt. However, the incandescent projectiles passed through the girl's ethereal being as if striking the wind instead, their trajectory finding closure on the background wall, dealing no harm to the warrior of light.

Seizing the opportunity, Rapunzel quickly lifted her knife above her head after she stood before the alien crowd. Driven by sheer instinct, she abruptly brought her electrified blade down in an earthward strike over a lone Cabal soldier raising its shield at her.

And again, the arc-charged knife effortlessly cut through the escutcheon, as well as the alien behind it, splitting them both with a perfectly vertical slash. There was a swarm of lighting bolts crawling out the Cabal soldier's wound, rapidly spreading across its entire, convulsing body, erasing it from existence in an electric, spontaneous spark.

But she wasn't done.

Swiftly recovering her footing, Rapunzel spun on her heel, swinging her blade once more against a second alien lashing towards her. All it took was a flick from her wrist to inflict a critical cut on her enemy before it was immediately vanished to the land of the dead.

After that, she performed an additional stroke with her electrified knife, cutting down a third alien on her right, and then another one ahead her.

The remaining troops kept shooting against the girl, yet their bullets were either too slow to come anywhere near her, or got dissolved in the electrified aura enveloping her.

By that point, Rapunzel had become an unstoppable force. A blinding flare flashing unrestrained throughout the battlefield, turning solid only when her knife found a target, releasing a vortex of disintegrating lightnings upon its unfortunate victim.

One by one they fell. Each swing of her incandescent blade equaled a Cabal soldier fading into oblivion. The pattern continued unceasing until she stood alone inside the chamber, for the enemy was no more.

Soon after her wondrous feat, the electric filaments swirling across her body began to dissipate as her trusted knife inexplicably vanished from her hand, materializing within its sheath.

Once the bolts of arc energy fully abandoned her being, Rapunzel relaxed her stance, standing still and breathing heavily while she looked down at her shivering palms with a puzzled gaze.

"Ghost… What just happened? … What is happening to me?" she muttered, slowly closing her hands into fists, lifting her sight.

"I might be wrong on this one," Ghost replied, appearing beside her. "But I believe you just awakened the 'Blade Trance'."

"I-… What? 'Blade Trance'? What say you?"

"The universe is defined by fundamental forces. Complex matter is bound together by deep energies and, in the study of this binding lies the secret of the 'Arc Light'."

Rapunzel remained silent. She pouted her lower lip, twisting her eyebrows in utter confusion while she stared blankly at her Ghost, tilting her head like a confused kitten.

"Ugh, basically is what enables Hunters to do the whole 'electro-blade-zap-thing' you just did, congratulations. I bet that Cayde will have something to say about this, but right now, we have more pressing matters."

"Such as?"

 ** _"That one!"_** Ghost suddenly exclaimed, swiftly vanishing from sight with a flash.

Rapunzel immediately spun on her heel. There was a deafening, reverberating noise of raging winds seizing the atmosphere as two aircrafts dropped down from the starry sky. Enormous dust-clouds rose on all directions during their rapid descent upon the desert beyond the opened gate of the outpost.

Their dull-gray hulls resembled a large, rectangular box with a pair of huge steel wings protruding from each side, which were boosted by a blazing fire burning unceasingly below their bulky turbines.

Standing before the ominous ships, Rapunzel placed her hand ahead her narrowed eyes for protection against the gnawing sandstorm swirling around her.

But then, the scene was briefly illuminated under an incandescent amber shine when one of the strange aircrafts fired a large projectile, a sharp-pointed missile from a small turret on its front, propelling towards her at full pelt.

She gasped audibly, her eyes wide as plates. Adrenaline rushed strong in her system after she quickly lunged downwards to her right, dive-rolling mere seconds before the rocket could reach her.

A thundering rumble blared through the air after the projectile exploded, a blazing maelstrom of flames charred the soil where the girl formerly stood.

Yet, by that point Rapunzel was far off harm's way, having taken cover behind a large nearby boulder.

 _"Here's your gun!"_ Ghost spoke in her head, her hand cannon suddenly materializing inside her palm in a flash of light. _"Listen, this also might be the wrong time for this, but the Sparrow is accessible! And we can't stay here any longer!"_

As she laid sitting over the sands with her back glued to the stone, Rapunzel saved her weapon within the sheath on her utility belt.

"I-I've got an idea! On my mark, summon the Sparrow." she hastily after a brief silence, ducking underneath the boulder while the stationary aircrafts at the other side continued firing missiles upon her increasingly-decaying refuge.

 _"Usually, I rather be the one who comes up with the bad ideas,"_ the construct replied nonchalantly. " _But I'm not complaining. Your call."_

The girl ignored her companion's comment, just as she tried to ignore the abrupt quakes and deafening noises of the rockets exploding against her hideout. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, centering her focus in the small intervals between each detonation.

 **"Ghost! Now!"** once she memorized the pattern and found an opening, Rapunzel swiftly turned, climbing upon her cover. Then, gathering the most strength she could on her legs, she jumped forth, using the cracked, burnt boulder as an impulse.

Soon after, a thick, cerulean mist appeared from thin air below the girl during her short leap of faith. The shining dust-particles filling the bluish fog started aligning, shifting amongst one another until a rectangular shape was assembled.

In mid-flight, Rapunzel assumed an astride position around the newformed structure, stretching her arms forward. Waves of glowing powder became wires and machinery, ethereal clouds solidified into iron.

And thus, her Sparrow was summoned, landing upon the soil with a sonorous thud, crimson sands bouncing across the surroundings upon the impact.

"Ghost, I need a direction!"

 _"Keep going forward!_ _Follow the path through the 'Giants' pass' until we get to the 'Valley of the Kings', you'll know when we get there!"_

Rapunzel tightened her grip on the acceleration handle in her right palm while the world around her became nothing but fast-fading blurs. Her vehicle leaving behind a long tail of fire as it ventured deeper inside the meandering dunes flowing through the rocky valley.

But then, the sunlight shining above her was unexpectedly obscured. In that moment, over the corner of her sight, she spotted a pair of enormous, malformed shadows looming on the ground beneath her Sparrow, matching its pace.

She quickly glanced behind her back, encountering the image from the two ominous aircrafts of earlier, flying low over the soil, chasing her at full speed.

 _"They're coming for us!"_ Ghost shouted.

"You think?! I didn't notice _WHOAH-!_ "

A deafening rumble interrupted the girl's sentence when a second missile struck the land near her. She swiftly yanked the handgrips of her vehicle in the opposite direction, avoiding the explosion under the wire.

Following the first attack, she heard that same thunder again. She instinctively gave another tug on the handlebar, barely maintaining her sliding Sparrow in control after the second detonation bursting beside her.

 _"There! That's the Gate!"_ the construct exclaimed.

Rapunzel lifted her gaze, feeling a faint vibration in one pocket of her utility belt. There was a colossal, ring-shaped structure rising over the mountainous horizon and the sand-mounds meandering across the desert.

 _"Vex! Twelve o'clock!"_

The girl turned once more, encountering several Vex patrolling the alien construction on the distance.

 _"Wait, now I get it!"_ Ghost added rapidly. " _The Vex want to take control over the surface to protect the Black Garden! If things keeps going like this, Mars will end the same as Venus!"_

"Why can't it-Ugh, nevermind…" Rapunzel growled, shaking her head while she maneuvered her Sparrow, dodging and zig-zagging through the numerous explosions detonating around her. "Hey, Ghost? Can't you, I don't know, do that magic stuff you do with your eye and make this thing go faster!?"

 _"Alright, first, this is a default model,"_ the construct replied humorlessly _. "It can't go beyond_ _eighty_ _miles per hour. Second, I don't do 'magic', it doesn't exist. And third,_ _ **Look out!**_ ** _"_**

Rapunzel's eyes snapped wide open, fixing on the road ahead. A blazing shine suddenly flared in front of her vehicle. Waves of vermillion sand rained upon her as her surroundings were lightened by an incandescent brilliance for a brief instant.

Burning fume filled her lungs after she drove her Sparrow across the blackened mist ascending before her. She coughed loudly and blinked repeatedly, struggling to stay inside the path coursing amidst the dunes.

Once her vision cleared, the girl found a thick cloud of dark smoke, alongside sparking flames rising from atop her vehicle, which was ever-so-slowly decreasing its acceleration.

The sunlight above her was blocked anew. She immediately looked upwards, her sight found the obscure silhouettes of the Cabal ships flying overhead her.

 _"This is bad, really bad!"_ Ghost yelled. _"At this rate, we won't be able to reach the gate. We must get inside the Black Garden and finish this fight once and for all!"_

Rapunzel stretched her lips into a thin line while she frowned contemplatively. She anxiously scanned the environment around her, searching for an escape route, or anything else to balance their unfavorable odds.

Then, beyond the smoke-and-fire maelstrom burning on her Sparrow, she spotted a large stone half-buried below the crimson sands. Its sloping peak surfacing over ground-level like a ramp.

"Ghost, hold onto something!" she said, tightly clutching her handgrip of her vehicle, twisting it as much as she could without tearing it apart. "This is going to be cosmic."

 _"Rapunzel, wait!"_ the construct exclaimed nervously. _"This better not be another of your crazy stunts!"_

The small fire flaming on top of the Sparrow grew stronger with each second while the girl continued pushing its limits.

In the middle of her getaway, Rapunzel looked behind herself, hoping her improvised plan would be working. Surprisingly enough, she found that the ominous ships pursuing her had long ceased their advance, for they were hovering stationary at the entrance of the valley.

"Whoah-!" a sudden quake made her focus quickly return to the path leading forth. In that instant, she realized… her vehicle was already crossing over the slope at full tilt.

By that point, nothing could be done. The damaged Sparrow rapidly traveled across the natural ramp, being catapulted several feet in the air above the sands.

 _"This is not going to end well!"_ Ghost shouted.

Rapunzel screamed to the top of her lungs during her aimless, uncontrolled flight over the numerous Vex that were firing a vast bulletstorm against her from below.

As the airborne Sparrow approached the enormous, brass-like gate, the space around the girl suddenly electrified, then distorted unnaturally, nearly resembling a dream while an alien brilliance started seizing the atmosphere surrounding her.

There was a deafening, ferrous sound blaring through the wind. And when everything became white, Rapunzel felt her body, her mind, her very essence being ripped away from that place into another existential plane.

Into oblivion…


	8. The Hope for the Future (Finale)

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned here**.

This story was made only with entertaining purposes and is not intended to be taken seriously in any social, political or religious context under any circumstances.

"Destiny" and its characters belong to "Bungie".

"Tangled" and its characters belong to "Disney".

* * *

 **Believe**

 **Chapter VIII:**

 **The Hope for the Future.**

* * *

"Guardian? Guardian? Eyes up, Guardian…"

She barely picked up the muffled voice after drowsiness abandoned her being. A strong, freezing feeling was the first thing she perceived beneath her while the rest of her detuned senses readjusted.

She placed her palms upon the ground, pushing herself upwards, then sitting on the soil as she blinked several times to focus her blurred sight.

Once her vision cleared, Rapunzel was greeted with the image of her Ghost hovering before her face.

"Ghost? What happened? Where are we?" she asked in a raspy whisper, rubbing her forehead.

"I… I don't know..." the construct replied. "I cannot transmit or receive anything, not even static. Wherever we are, it is very far from Mars. Far from everything, and everyone."

Rapunzel huffed displeased, maintaining silence while she cautiously rose off the soil.

When she finally stood, she seized the opportunity to observe the strange world around her, finding herself in a square room at the bottom of a long passageway, which led to a bluish-green, dazzling brilliance occupying the entire background.

Huge moss-stains crept over the cracked walls encompassing the chamber, alongside dark, metal plaques embedded on their surface. Several stone-columns with angular, sleek edges rose uneven above ground-level. Some were small, tilted, others were as high as the foggy skies upon her, ascending in a perfectly-straight position. The dented, gray floor was upholstered almost completely by many spots of tall, thick grass and vast puddles pouring from nowhere.

"So… Did it work? Have we found the Black Garden?" the girl asked, turning to face her little companion hovering beside her.

"I really hope we did," Ghost answered. "If not, I'm afraid we are alone, stranded in a distant realm most likely inhabited by unfriendly Vex, with no means of going back home."

"Then what should we do?"

"I guess we just keep going, but where…?"

Then, Rapunzel sensed a light vibration on her lower back, the same she felt earlier when they were pursued by the Cabal airships. She reached down for a small pocket in her utility belt, pulling out the Gatelord's eye, which glowed with a dim, crimson luminescence slowly flashing on and off.

She tilted her head like a curious cat, lifting the black-iron device next to her ear, shaking it as if it was a burnt-out light bulb, but she heard no sound that could indicate any damage or malfunction.

Rapunzel lowered the flickering artifact again, and unconsciously turned around, her sight fixed upon the shining eye while her Ghost continued wandering aimlessly across the ominous passageway.

Suddenly, in the middle of her spin, the device abruptly trembled, its light began flashing intermittently with a faster rhythm. She frowned bewildered, pursing her lips while she looked down to the artifact for several seconds.

After that, something over her peripheral vision caught her attention. The girl lifted her sight, staring deeply into the bright, teal veil seizing the bottom of the corridor.

An idea swiftly crossed her mind.

She immediately glanced back at the Gatelord's eye in her hand, moving it away from its alignment with the brilliant background. In that moment, she noticed how the device had stopped shining as intensely as just a little while ago. However, when she brought the artifact back to its original position, it quickly began vibrating inside her palm. The thin, glass lens atop it twinkled with a sparkling, vermillion glow rapidly flickering between incandescence and dullness.

Rapunzel smiled widely under her helmet, realization striking her like a fierce thunderbolt.

"That way!" she exclaimed enthusiastically before she unexpectedly started jogging uphill towards the end of the passageway.

"Wait, Rapunzel! Where are you going!?" Ghost blurted out worriedly as it tried to catch up with the exhilarated girl.

"The eye, it speaks to me!" she replied during her hurried sprint. The unearthly brilliance at bottom of the corridor growing increasingly brighter with each step until it seized her entire visual field, thus making her place her free hand ahead her eyes, for protection against such strong shining.

Eventually, Rapunzel reached the bright veil in the background. Stopping dead on her tracks, she slowly lowered her palm, blinking repeatedly.

And once her vision adjusted to the current scenario, she gawked with awe, staring dumbfounded at the surreal sight displayed beyond the cliff she stood on.

There was a colossal, rocky plateau rising tall over the horizon line, beneath a wide pillar of teal light cascading down upon it, highlighting it like stage lamps. A vast garden, blanketed by a thick, green mist, spread as far as the eye could reach, in stark contrast to the angular, narrow passageways coursing throughout its seemingly endless expanse. Pristine steam and black fume ascended into the heavens, alongside a thousand rose petals dancing gently with the wind flowing across the ethereal land.

"Well, there's no doubt in my mind now!" the construct spoke, approaching from behind. "We _are_ in the Black Garden."

"What makes you say that?" Rapunzel asked sheepishly.

"I… I really don't want to unsettle you, but there's something extremely dark down there. I assume it's the Garden's heart. I can sense its power from here."

"How… How can a place like this come to be so beautiful, and terrifying at the same time?"

"Now that we are here, let's make sure no one is terrified of this place ever again… So, which way?"

Rapunzel remained silent, glancing down over the Gatelord's eye. She spun, waving the artifact to her right side, which started glowing and vibrating in the process. Thus, she started heading on that direction, entering another corridor while her sight lingered fixated upon the flickering device.

 **" _Watch out!"_**

A metallic sound echoed across the hallway when Rapunzel, completely unaware of her surroundings, walked into an iron wall. Stunned by the impact, she unwittingly took a few steps back, shaking her head to reduce the pain seizing her face.

When her senses focused again, her eyes went wide with sheer dread.

She let out a sharp gasp after encountering a Vex unit standing right before her, and soon she found several more gathered around her like wolves hunting down a wounded prey.

The girl wasted no time in pulling out her hand cannon, ready to unleash a bulletstorm as she pointed it against the small army of automatons cornering her.

 _ **"Wait!"**_ Ghost exclaimed suddenly.

Rapunzel immediately froze, her weapon stiffly aimed forth while her finger twitched over the trigger.

"They're not in a combat sequence," the construct said. "It looks like they are in some kind of stasis."

The girl arched an eyebrow in disbelief as she timidly approached towards the inactive Vex blocking her path, inspecting it up-close.

Then, she noticed how the automatons, unlike those she had faced on previous occasions, stood completely straight, towering over her by almost an additional meter. Also, their usually lustrous frames were vastly tarnished, covered by moss and numerous ferns hanging down from their limbs.

"Well, this is odd. And a bit scary..." Rapunzel commented, slowly waving her free palm in front of the Vex ahead her. "What should we do?"

"They seem to be waiting for something to happen," Ghost replied. "If they wanted to attack us, I'm pretty sure they would've done so already. There's also the possibility that the Vex still haven't discovered our presence in the Black Garden, or they simply are luring us into a trap. In any case, we should try to get as close to the heart as we can before they start coming for us."

"And what if they start coming back to life before we find the gate?"

"Fret not, I'll be the eyes on your back!" the construct said gleefully, spinning its carcass like a whirligig. "I mean, the 'eye' on your back, you get me, right?"

"Let's just keep going, you silly widget."

"Fine, fine. Lead the way."

Rapunzel huffed, and she resumed her timid advance into the Black Garden.

It felt like an eternity for her. Minutes resembled hours as she attempted to navigate through the labyrinthine, eerily similar corridors flowing back and forth, left and right, traversing a convoluted network of serpentine passages that looked identical.

Even with the Gatelord's eye guiding her journey like a magic compass, she couldn't discern the right path from a blind alley, thus making her return over her steps on several occasions, just so she could start in the beginning once more.

The constant switch between claustrophobic hallways and open areas proved to be disorientating, especially when the cryptic clues of the flickering artifact ended up leading her towards a location far beyond her reach, or places she visited earlier.

By that point, Rapunzel had stopped worrying about the numerous machines standing dormant at every corner around her, silently watching all her movements. Instead, uncertainty and boredom became her new foes as she continued her errant quest through the Vex maze.

She sighed deeply. In the back of her mind lurked that old, familiar feeling which plagued her during her previous travels across the Cosmodrome, the Crucible, Venus and recently Mars.

There was an unbearable, omnipresent self-doubt that made her question even the most absolute facts.

No matter how hard she tried, it always seemed that she couldn't accomplish her expected duties as a Guardian. That idea alone was enough for her feeble spirit to start breaking under the pressure.

Monsters, the Darkness, death… she dreaded neither.

Her truest, deepest fear was something much more simpler.

 _Failure._

Mainly now that the fate of the Traveler, the Last City and its inhabitants rested on her shoulders. The stakes were high, the decisions she could make had potentially great repercussions in humanity's future. If she failed, every achievement she garnered, every new bond she forged would be gone forever.

Rapunzel had already lost everything she held dear once. She wasn't willing to let that happe-.

Suddenly, her train of thought was interrupted when the Gatelord's eye began vibrating in her hand, glowing incandescently as well.

"What is it?" Ghost asked.

"I… I believe we're close."

After that, Rapunzel turned around, heading into a long, narrow corridor, her gaze remaining fixed upon the shining device in her palm while she advanced.

At the end of this passageway, she continued carefully walking down over a slope, eventually arriving to a wide field surrounded by tall stone walls obscuring the horizon, where a colossal, bronze-like gate sealed the background. The floor was covered under green grass and red roses, populated with several obelisks protruding from the soil, alongside a rocky, sky-high tower at the middle of the square.

"Dead end," the construct spoke. "But I think we found the Black Garden's heart."

"How would you know that?" Rapunzel questioned, spinning on her heel, glancing with utter perplexity at her surroundings.

"Remember that darkness I told you about a while ago? Well, it's right there, at the other side of that gate. I know it because I can feel my light slowly fading away, and yours too for that matter."

The girl's eyes widened following the reply.

"O… kay…" she whispered with a shaky voice. "Not sure if I truly wish to hear the answer but… how do we open the gate?"

"Let me have a closer look on that cluster." Ghost said, floating towards the enormous spire ahead, hovering before a round, brass plaque embedded on its surface.

Once there, the construct started casting a blue beam from its eye upon a small crystal at the center of the steel plate.

"I can manipulate it, I just need to break their manifold encryption." Ghost mumbled, delving in its own workings while Rapunzel stood behind, watching silently as if trying to learn how she could do it by herself.

But then, a strong, ivory radiance appeared, enveloping the whole tower. The girl took a step back, gazing above when a lengthened, blazing lightstream spurted out from atop the glowing spire, swiftly crossing over the field until it reached the gate in the background.

"It worked!" Ghost exclaimed, withdrawing from the plaque. "Now, the last thing we need is permission to enter… as 'Gatelord'."

When she finished contemplating the surreal spear of light looming overhead, Rapunzel glanced down to the Gatelord's eye shining in her palm. She sighed heavily, her sight falling upon the crystal on the brass plate before her, which was flashing intermittently at the same rhythm as the artifact she held.

She huffed, furrowing her brows. It seemed too convenient, clear, even easy. Those were adjectives she wouldn't use for describing the tasks she normally found herself fulfilling. But no serious consequences would come from a mere hunch, right? It's not like she wasn't getting the short side of the stick already.

Thus, driven by both curiosity and instinct, Rapunzel cautiously moved the device in her hand forward, spinning it so its glass lens was facing the glowing crystal in the plaque.

Then, a thousand strands of energy began flickering through the tower and the rocky obelisks scattered across the ground, also crawling up the walls on perfectly symmetrical patterns, submerging the entire square under a dim, whitish luminescence.

Deafening, metallic sounds blared across the atmosphere when large, bronze plates started sliding upwards, cracking open the gargantuan gate at the back as thick, fume-clouds poured through its wide gap into the field. The bright teal environment abruptly transitioning into an abysmal dark brown.

"Well, here goes nothing, or everything," Ghost said nonchalantly, hovering above the girl's shoulder. "Are you ready?"

Rapunzel looked at the construct with a blank stare, shaking her head.

"Heh, me neither... Let's go."

After that, she saved the Gatelord's eye in one of her pockets and pulled out her hand cannon. Then, she hesitatingly began walking towards the gray, smoky mist emerging from the opened gate in the background.

When she crossed the threshold, Rapunzel's eyes snapped open, her blood freezing at the nightmarish landscape displayed before her. Her jaw hanging slightly behind her helmet as she encountered a half-round, vast arena of flat rock in a lower level, covered partially by brass plates, tall grass and crimson roses.

Upon said platform, she found several Vex stiffly genuflecting on the ground, extending their arms to their sides, gathered below three towering stone statues with inhuman silhouettes.

However, what truly send shivers down her spine, was the monstrosity at the center of a wide arc rising over the arena.

A colossal, obsidian mass pulsating, shapeshifting like lava sliding across a pronounced slope. Its lustrous, glossy surface covered by flickering, electric rays coursing back and forth, wreathed in fuming darkness.

"Vex! Get down!" Ghost exclaimed in a whisper.

Rapunzel instantly crouched, lying prone upon the small platform where she stood.

"What. Is. That!?" she asked under her breath, her sight still fixated over the dreamlike scenery beneath.

"The heart of the Black Garden," the construct replied softly. "Wait, are they… worshipping it!? Why would hyperintelligent, time-spanning machines behave religiously?"

"We all have to believe in something, right?" Rapunzel commented sheepishly.

"No, it can't be that simple, not with the Vex. I might be wrong on this one, but I spoke to Ikora before we came to Mars. She told me that the behavior of the Vex is always a process, and can be better understood as algorithms."

"What say you?"

"They calculate and formulate specific solutions for specific problems as behavioral responses. Following that logic, if the Vex concluded that worshipping the heart would be more effective than any other behavior, they would adopt worship. That means, whatever the Vex found or made in the Black Garden, it transcends even their own power, which in of itself, is already a nightmare to think about."

Rapunzel gulped hardly at this, wrapping her free palm around her throat.

"Ghost?" she inquired after a brief silence. The construct acknowledged the call by emitting a small chirp, spinning over its axis to face her.

"Remember when we fought the Archon?" she resumed, gazing melancholically at the ground through half-lidded eyes. "When I passed out, I… I had a vision of my past self. She told me that the only goal I had in my previous life was to see some kind of… 'floating lights'."

"And now we stand here, where no one else has before, to face the Darkness itself in what could easily become a one-way trip. But whatever happens from this point onwards, I just want you to know that… I'm with you, guardian. All the way down."

Rapunzel didn't reply. Instead, her lips involuntarily stretched into a faint smile while her eyes grew crystalline under her helmet.

"So, with that out of the way… Think you can kill a God?"

"Cracking tough challenges is what we do, right?"

"That's the spirit! Now-"

Ghost's sentence was interrupted by loud, mechanical noises blaring over the quiet atmosphere.

The girl's attention swiftly returned to the arena, where she spotted the dormant Vex slowly reactivating, turning towards her with paused and sporadic movements as their eyes started glowing in an incandescent, crimson radiance.

"I guess there is no use in hiding anymore." Rapunzel said, pushing herself off the land, rising her hand cannon.

Suddenly, a thick, sapphire smokescreen appeared from thin air, engulfing the machines in the lower level. Flickering webs of electric bolts began swirling across the ground, enveloping the Vex's kneeling frames. Then, a blinding, cerulean glow sparkled amidst the bluish mist, illuminating the entire arena.

And with that, the mysterious fog, alongside the alien shining seizing the arena faded as quickly as it manifested, leaving behind no trace of the machines either.

"Well… that happened!" Ghost commented nonchalantly, vanishing from sight in a flash. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that they just invited us in."

Rapunzel remained silent, lingering motionless in her stance for a few more seconds.

This was it, there is no turning back now. Everything she has achieved so far led to this moment. It could only end with her victory or her death. She wasn't ready, by any means. But true bravery does not come from the absence of fear.

Brave is the one who acts in spite of fear, as she has done countless times on her journey.

"For the city…" she mumbled. "For all those who are still counting on us."

Then, Rapunzel walked to the edge of the small platform looming over the arena. Once again, she froze as her gaze thoughtfully fixated upon the lower level. She inhaled deeply, and slowly exhaled before leaping down into the large plateau beneath.

It was a considerable fall. She let out a shaky breath after she landed on the ground in a crouching position. Her feet wide apart from one another, supporting her weight with free palm on the floor while she unconsciously stretched her right arm upwards.

But she recovered her footing soon, for her body was now as strong as her spirit. Thus, she rose, unfazed by her own, transhuman feat, and continued walking forth like nothing happened.

"Hello? Sir 'Darkness'? Can you hear me?" Rapunzel asked timidly during her cautious approach towards the heart of the Black Garden.

Utter silence followed her question. Only a subtle, hissing noise echoed through the atmosphere, sounding from the corrupted energy coursing through the blackened mass before her.

"Rapunzel, I don't think-"

"Doesn't matter, I will say it anyway," the girl hastily resumed, looking above through narrowed eyes at the heart with her fists strongly clenched. "From the very first moment I stepped into this world, my new life has been plagued by horrors worse than those of my nightmares. Monsters wielding powers far beyond anything I could ever imagine… and I had to fight them, with tools I didn't know how to use at first.

The Traveler, the Tower, my new life as a guardian of the city… I hated everything, with all my heart. I've escaped certain death more times than I can remember simply by getting lucky. Were it not for the help of my Ghost, I wouldn't be standing here today, telling this tale.

But now, I realize about the opportunity that the Traveler has gifted me. I was given a new place to call 'home', and the power to defend it.

I… I already lost everything I held dear once. It's something I wouldn't wish to anybody, not even my worst enemy.

So, if you think that I will let you take my reason to exist away from me, I'll tell you now, in the name of the Traveler and humanity, that we will not surrender! **I will fight you, and everything you throw at us, 'till my very last breath!"**

Right after her speech concluded, a deafening, metallic thunder reverberated across the arena, resembling steel plates forcefully grinding against each other. Rapunzel instinctively flinched, clamping her eyes tightly shut while she covered her ears from the sudden, overwhelming sound drilling her tympanums.

She immediately shook her head to ease the deep malaise plaguing her. And once that all her disturbed senses focused again, the girl found the disconcerting sight of the black heart casting flickering energy-bolts towards the three statues gathered around it.

"Something is happening," Ghost said. "I-I admit it, I was wrong! It can hear you, and it's clearly pissed!"

Rapunzel quickly spun on her heel when the loud noises of crumbling rocks caught her attention, encountering the gargantuan sculptures slowly cracking open. Wide light-beams began pouring out from the meandering crevices in the surface of the statues.

"Those statues…" the construct murmured frightened. "The heart is bringing those statues to life!"

Rapunzel stood completely immobile, watching aghast as several, brilliant tendrils crawled all over the sculptures, wholly enveloping them.

A million rubble-pieces abruptly bounced on all directions across the terrain. Stone was sonorously shattered once more, and the statues collapsed to the ground, unveiling a triad of enormous Vex carrying heavy weapons, emerging from the rock at unison like insects leaving their cocoons.

Perhaps these ones were slightly bigger, she thought. Yet, their appearance greatly resembled the Gatelord she fought in Venus.

With the only remarkable difference being the color they sported, for the first was painted the usual bronze of its smaller counterparts, the second possessed a silver-ivory frame, and lastly, the third one looked as if it was bathed by the purest gold.

But aside those details, those colossal Vex also had traces of smoky darkness fuming from their lustrous frameworks, while their cyclopean eyes emanated a greenish-yellow shine looming over her.

"Well… I was expecting a challenge," Rapunzel mumbled, dropping her shoulders in defeat mixed with amazement, gazing gawked above to the towering machines before her. "But this is ridic- _ **Whoah!**_ "

She squealed incoherently after the silver giant unexpectedly lashed against her, mightily smashing its enormous, blackened fist upon the ground where she once stood, effortlessly cracking it.

Fortunately, she managed to dodge the strike under the wire by lunging to the side, rolling over the floor. As soon as she retrieved her foothold, Rapunzel swiftly turned, raising her hand cannon at the colossal Vex, ready for a counterattack.

But then, she sensed a strong gust of wind blowing near her. Acting solely in instinct, she immediately jumped away from her stance before the bronze titan abruptly stomped the soil she previously laid on. A deafening rumble blared through the trembling arena while a gigantic smokescreen rose off the shattered land.

When her feet touched firm ground anew, Rapunzel started a rampant run on the opposite direction. The golden colossus standing before her moved its obsidian claw downwards, plummeting upon her as she passed right between its tall legs, yet she was quick enough to escape its grasp.

Once free of harm's way, the girl stopped dead on her tracks, spinning again so she could face the enormous Vex with its back turned on her.

She flicked her wrist, a thousand light-particles appeared inside her left palm, shapeshifting into an incendiary grenade that she tossed towards the golden colossus, forcing it to yield as gnawing, rapidly-spreading flames engulfed its entire framework after the tiny explosive detonated.

Rapunzel smiled widely under her helmet. However, she didn't have time to savor her small victory, for she noticed an incandescent, bluish brilliance burning strong over the corner of her eye.

She glanced to her left, spotting a gigantic, empurpled fireball approaching to her, growing increasingly bigger and brighter with each second. Rapunzel wasted no time in jumping far from the trajectory of the projectile impacting the floor, avoiding its range while it spread violet thunderbolts throughout the surroundings.

Afterwards, she aimed her hand cannon at bronze titan beneath her.

 **"Whoa-!"** suddenly, before her finger could even brush the trigger of her weapon, four, blackened tendrils emerged from nowhere, wrapping tightly on her torso as she glided airborne.

During that brief instant, Rapunzel was able to lay eyes upon the silver giant capturing her. But then, the world around her became a fleeting blur and was filled by pain when the Vex colossus mightily smashed her down against the floor. The arena cracked with a loud thunder, a small crater formed below her once her being abruptly met firm soil.

"Rapunzel, can you hear me!?" Ghost bellowed worriedly in the girl's ear. "I'm detecting multiple contusions in your system!"

"Y-yeah… I… I detect them too…" she mumbled as she placed her palms on the ground, wearily attempting to rise again.

 ** _"Behind you!"_**

The construct's call sharpened her senses anew. she instinctively glanced over her shoulder, spotting the silver giant's foot rapidly falling upon her.

Her eyes snapped open. Then, she curled to a ball, swiftly rolling sidewise before the Vex colossus strongly stomped the floor where she previously was.

A powerful quake shook the entire arena. Rapunzel shyly looked upwards while the silver giant slowly lifted its leg above her, seemingly acquiring impulse for another strike.

She barely had time to think when the foot of the Vex colossus plummeted against her on a second occasion. The ground trembled once more, shattering with a sonorous crackle, but the girl dodged the attack in the last second by spinning at her left over the floor.

As the silver giant rose its foot again, Rapunzel summoned her knife. And right after it materialized completely inside her free palm, she threw the incandescent blade against the machine looming over her, its sharp edge piercing through the ivory core on its trunk.

The colossal Vex let out a ferric bellow, sounding almost like a cry of pain as it stumbled backwards with quaking steps.

This was her chance.

Rapunzel immediately stood off the soil while the silver giant remained stunned. A blinding glow irradiated around her hand cannon after a mighty burst of blazing flames started swirling across her entire body.

Having successfully conjured her golden gun, she aimed at the silver giant, and without thinking it twice, pressed firmly the trigger three times.

A wide light-spear emerged from her pistol, drilling across the machine's leg, forcing it on one knee. The second shot perforated its right claw, making it drop its heavy weapon. And the last solar bullet effortlessly penetrated its core, inducing a cascade of whitish liquid to pour down over the ground as the silver giant's frame was wholly consumed by a fast-spreading firestorm that spontaneously dissolved it into nothingness.

Once her enemy ceased to exist, the flames enveloping her and her hand cannon slowly started fading away.

But suddenly, a powerful blast of energy made waves across the arena, followed soon with raging winds shaking the environment. Rapunzel swiftly crossed her arms before her face after she was reached by the abrupt pulse, tensing her whole body against the strong air-current surrounding her.

However, the hurricane-like breeze quickly vanished. When she could no longer feel the wild zephyr around her, she cautiously relaxed her stiff stance, lifting her gaze.

And yet, she didn't encounter two enraged machines.

Instead, Rapunzel met the bewildering sight of both Vex giants shuddering spasmodically while sparkling lightning-bolts flickered on their entire frameworks. Their yellow lights also flashing repeatedly, as if malfunctioning.

She arched an eyebrow under her helmet, tilting her head in a gesture that resembled a confused puppy. Then, she instinctively glanced at her left. What she discovered surprised her to no end.

There it was. The fabled, imposing heart of the Black Garden wrenching, throbbing like a quivering muscle.

"Something happened..." Ghost spoke. "I-I think you hurt it, the Darkness around us is receding! The heart is dying!"

The girl smiled with an inaudible gasp, a little flame of hope lit within her soul.

"Good," she murmured, her confident smirk suddenly turning to a frown. "One down, two more to go."

Standing completely still, she took a deep breath, closing her eyes while clenching her fists. And after a few additional seconds of mental preparation, Rapunzel started running towards the stunned machines before her.

 _'Okay Rapunzel, focus...'_ she thought to herself during her sprint. _'Blade trance, Blade trance…'_

Unfortunately, it didn't take long for the Vex giants to recover from their breakdown. As soon as it reactivated, the bronze titan lifted its heavy weapon, shooting a purple fireball against the girl.

However, she rapidly avoided the projectile by leaping forth, escaping from the burning, violet maelstrom exploding behind her.

Retrieving her footing, Rapunzel immediately spun on her heel, raising her hand cannon, ready to open fire upon the Vex colossus in front of her.

 _ **"Agh!"**_ before she could react or even notice, the girl was mightily pushed by a strong, sudden force, which resulted to be the golden colossus' foot kicking her away.

The powerful impact stunned her deeply. The air filling her lungs abruptly abandoned her lips as she was effortlessly sent flying across the arena, her weapon leaving her grasp in the process.

And once her body lost all momentum from the strike, Rapunzel's body landed gracelessly on the ground, rolling uncontrolled like a ragdoll over the soil until she reached the edge of the cliff.

"Rapunzel!" the construct exclaimed in her mind. "Be careful. I know what you're thinking, and you're gonna' need more than your 'electro-blade-zap-thing' to get us out of this one."

"I… I see…" Rapunzel stuttered, facing the ground, spitting blood as she tried to push herself up, but her weakened limbs lacked the strength needed for supporting her own weight.

Every single fiber of her being pulsated in excruciating pain. But surprisingly enough, she eventually managed to rise again with slow and sporadic motions barely keeping her standing.

"Guess it's time to get creative, then." she said on a low, feeble whisper, watching silently as the two Vex giants continued walking to her at a snail's pace.

"H-hey you!" the girl suddenly shouted, slowly waving her arms above her head. "I'm right here! Come and get me…"

Her taunt immediately earned the attention of the bronze titan, which spontaneously let out a ferrous roar when it began stomping towards her, raising its enormous claw high in the air.

Yet, Rapunzel had anticipated this. She stood still on her stance, tensing her legs and narrowing her eyes while she waited for the large machine to get closer.

Then, she jumped, in the split second before the blackened fist of the bronze titan fell upon her. The ground beneath cracked noisily, a thick, smoky obelisk rose tall to the heavens after the machine's powerful strike.

Sapphire energy enveloped her as she gave a second leap, granting her even more height above the colossal Vex. And shortly later, she landed gracefully on top of the bronze titan's head.

Swiftly following her feat, the enormous machine started shaking its entire frame in an effort to throw off the guardian from its back.

Sensing her foothold weakening, Rapunzel quickly kneeled, summoning her knife within her palm, and she fiercely dug its sharp blade on the bronze titan's lustrous surface, creating an improvised grip to firmly anchor herself upon it.

Having secured her mount over the colossal Vex, she froze in her place while she rode the machine like an enraged bull.

It was all so clear now.

Just as her Ghost said, they have accomplished the impossible before, with every odd stacked against them, and today would be no different.

After all, she just made a God bleed.

Rapunzel tightened her grasp around her blade. She licked her lips behind her helmet, and puckered them slightly. And she began blowing out until a loud tune echoed across the atmosphere.

Her whistle managed to capture the interest from the golden colossus standing at the other side of the arena.

The machine rose its heavy weapon. There was a deafening thunder blaring through the wind as the Vex colossus shot a small, empurpled sun towards the rookie huntress atop the bronze titan.

Everything was going according to her plan. She inhaled deeply, staring with relative calm at the violet fireball slowly getting closer and brighter.

 _'Just a little longer, almost nothing…'_

Rapunzel waited a bit more. Her eyes went wide, adrenaline rushed strongly through her system while her heart raced beneath her chest.

Then, she jumped off the machine, right before the enormous projectile impacted against her colossal Vex she was mounting, its frame being engulfed by a storm of violet thunderbolts and flames, knocking it backwards.

As the bronze titan continued stumbling, the floor beneath it suddenly ended. And thus, it fell off the cliff into a bottomless void lurking below the arena, never to be seen again.

"That was amazing, Rapunzel!" Ghost exclaimed exhilarated.

After her leap of faith, the girl's body was abruptly reconnected with firm ground anew, much less elegantly this time around, for she collapsed to her knees upon reaching the soil.

Eventually, a second energy-blast pulsed through the peaceful breeze, spontaneously turning it to mighty gusts of wind swirling all over the stone complex.

Rapunzel wearily lifted her gaze, catching a glimpse from the Black Garden's heart quivering madly, compressing into an smaller, malformed mass while its metallic, albeit aqueous-looking surface was covered by lengthened crevices, revealing wide tendrils of pristine light underneath.

Then, her sight drifted to the golden colossus standing ahead her, its colossal framework trembling, almost as if convulsing, enveloped with a million lightning-threads flickering up and down across its limbs, just like when she defeated the first silver giant.

"One final push, guardian. That's all we need. It is now or never."

While she laid prone on the land, Rapunzel let out a heavy sigh, lingering motionless for a moment.

Despite her strong volition, she was now lacking the strength needed to carry out her task, since she hadn't slept properly in days, and let us not speak about having a suitable meal.

She knew very well what had to be done, but any mistake, however small this could be, involved the waste of her numerous efforts, along with the death of her companion and herself.

However, she refused to let fear overcome her yearnings again.

She inhaled deeply, struggling to recollect herself with slow and sporadic movements.

But soon, the girl stood up anew, her confidence suddenly renewed as her tired stare shapeshifted into a frown.

 _'No more!'_

She said 'no' to her own, weakened body.

She said 'no' to all her enemies trying to impose their will upon her.

She said 'no' to remain a pawn of fate ever again.

Thus, gathering her remaining energies, Rapunzel started another race across the shattered arena, heading towards the stunned, shuddering machine in front of her, determined to finish this fight once and for all.

But then, something strange happened.

An alien, cerulean radiance glowing dimly at the corner of her eye. She instinctively glanced down over herself, finding a thousand electric filaments swirling around her whole being, as well as in the knife she proudly sported on her right palm, charging its blade with arc-energy.

Yet, she didn't doubt nor flinched after the discovery. Instead, she smiled widely beneath her helmet while she continued her frenzied sprint towards the Vex giant at the other side of the arena.

She was so close now.

The golden colossus was defenseless. There wasn't anything that could stop her from finally fulfilling her duty.

Time seemed to elapse on a slower pace as Rapunzel jumped forth once, then twice high over the ground with the gift of the Traveler aiding her leap. During her brief ascension, she quickly raised her arms above her head, wielding her electrified knife between her hands.

And before long, she abruptly brought the incandescent blade down in an earthward thrust upon the unprotected, ivory core of the stunned machine ahead her, piercing it effortlessly like a sword cutting through bare flesh.

Lightning bolts swiftly began engulfing the golden colossus.

A deafening thunder reverberated across the atmosphere when an enormous, rapidly-spreading blast of electricity emerged from thin air, mightily exploding amidst the arena, submerging the entire stone complex under a radiant, blinding white.

* * *

"Guardian? Can you hear me?" the construct's soothing voice broke through her loss of consciousness.

"Uh… G-Ghost? Is that you?" Rapunzel whispered feebly, lightly frowning as drowsiness started abandoning her.

Having awakened from her swoon, she slowly sat on the cold ground beneath her with faint and sporadic motions. Then, she blinked several times to clear her unfocused sight.

And once the blurriness on her eyes vanished, the girl calmly observed the world around her, finding herself still in the middle of the shattered arena housing the Black Garden's heart.

However, the blackened, corrupting mass was nowhere to be seen, neither its Vex keepers.

Aside all that, the dark brown shade obscuring the atmosphere had apparently faded, being replaced by the bright, teal veil from earlier while a swarm of crimson rose petals danced gently in the breeze flowing through the complex.

"W-wha… What happened?" Rapunzel asked, glancing with both awe and perplexity at her surroundings.

"We're back… on Mars." Ghost answered softly.

"And the heart? The Vex? Where are they?" she inquired again, placing her palms upon the cracked soil beneath her, slowly pushing herself upwards.

"Y-you… You did it."

"I… What? What say you?"

"You did it, Rapunzel!" Ghost exclaimed enthusiastically, spinning its shell like a whirligig. "You destroyed the heart of the Black Garden! The shroud of Darkness is lifting! I-I can feel it! The light is returning to the Traveler!"

A brief silence followed the sentence. Rapunzel smiled lightly behind her helmet, letting out a small chuckle.

However, she started giggling softly, unceasingly and increasingly until she was shrieking in hysterical shouts of laughter, throwing her head backwards while she rubbed her abdomen using her palms.

But soon, her loud sniggering became a little rougher, a little huskier, eventually coming to an end after a long, delighted sigh.

"Are you feeling alright? Should I be worried?" the construct asked, floating near the girl's face.

"Never felt better before in my whole… second life." Rapunzel replied, taking off her helm, dropping it to the ground.

She inhaled deeply, holding her breath for a moment before exhaling slowly.

Then, she widely opened her arms, and suddenly let herself fall to the ground with a sonorous 'thud', lying on her back.

"You know…" she spoke sheepishly, looking blankly at the bluish-green sky above her. "That was actually… kind of easy."

"If you say so…" Ghost replied. "Well, by the look of things, I'd say that our work here is done. The Speaker is calling us home, I'm sure he'll want to thank you himself… Rapunzel? Rapunzel?"

Puzzled by the lack of a response, the construct quickly spun over its axis, finding a fast asleep Rapunzel with her eyes peacefully closed. Her armored bosom slowly going up and down as she quietly snored.

Ghost said nothing about this odd occurrence.

Instead, the construct merely emitted a low chirp, sounding relieved while it stared deeply into the empty arc rising over the arena.

 _'I… I made the right choice… I definitely made the right choice.'_

Of course, Ghost would never tell her this directly.

* * *

"For centuries we feared the forces of Darkness massing against us." the Speaker announced solemnly as he stood in a podium before a plethora of Titans, Warlocks and Hunters.

Many souls were gathered beneath the warm, amber glow of the morning sun casting long shadows over the Tower plaza. A cool breeze blew softly across the marketplace, dry leaves gently descended from the trees around the complex into the ground.

Lord Shaxx, Cayde-6, the other Vanguard mentors, as well as several guardians in active duty, and even the frames fulfilling cleaning services. Everyone was there, all listening attentive to the Speaker's words.

"We sought to hide and cower beneath a broken God..." he continued, his calm voice echoing throughout the whole plaza. "No more. These guardians show us what we are, what we have always been, and what we will be again. We are what remains of the light, and we will not be stamped out..."

But then, from amidst the crowd emerged a tiny, cerulean light.

A Ghost.

Zig-zagging through the multitude of guardians, earning several grunts and death-stares as it continued its aimless flight across the highly-populated square.

"Where in the world is that girl?" the solitary construct mumbled to itself.

From the moment where the sun rose above the mountains, this Ghost has been looking for a very special guardian who, so far hasn't been found in any location of the Tower.

The Crucible outpost, The Hall of Guardians, the Tower North, the Traveler's Walk. The construct searched on all those places more than once, yet the guardian wasn't there.

Only one last place remained where the Ghost's quest might find closure.

Thus, the solitary construct swiftly made its way to the other side of the marketplace, heading towards the Tower Hangar.

Floating through a narrow corridor filled with numerous toolboxes and loose wires spread across the short hallway, Ghost quickly reached its destination.

The enormous hangar had many large luminaries hanging from the roof, casting wide beams of incandescent light upon the large, iron platform beneath. Several, motley aircrafts were arranged in rows at the back.

And there she was.

Ghost immediately found Rapunzel sitting at the distant edge of the platform below the vast opening through which all the Jumpships entered the place.

The construct wasted no time in descending to the lower lever, rapidly sailing across the hangar.

"There you are!" Ghost spoke as soon as it arrived to Rapunzel's side.

"Oh, hi Ghost!" she said happily, glancing over her shoulder at the small, hovering machine. "I didn't hear you coming."

"And I've been looking all over for you. Everyone is asking for the guardian who went beyond the reaches of time and prevented the Black Garden's heart from consuming the stars. You mind telling me why you're not in the ceremony?"

"You know I don't like to be around a lot of people," Rapunzel answered with a faint shrug, her legs hanging off the edge of the platform. "Besides, I… I wanted to be alone for a moment."

Following the sentence, she stared back at the picturesque sight beyond the hangar. Beneath the cerulean, cloudless sky, the city was blanketed by a thin, whitish fog spreading to the mountainous horizon covered under a thick layer of snow.

Both the girl and her Ghost continued watching quietly to the dormant Traveler looming over the tranquil Earth, enveloped with a vibrant, twinkling swarm of ivory lights swirling around it.

"Rapunzel?" the construct spoke softly, breaking the ice.

She remained silent while she looked curiously at her small companion floating above her shoulder

"There is something I need to ask you," Ghost resumed, slowly turning on its axis to face Rapunzel. "May I?"

Once again, she didn't reply. Instead, she acknowledged the request with a warm smile and a light nod of her head.

"Back in the Black Garden, when you were talking to the heart, you mentioned that you… 'hated' the Traveler… Was it true?"

"Y-yes… It was true..." Rapunzel replied feebly after a brief pause, gazing at her feet melancholically through half-lidded eyes. "In the beginning, I hated the Traveler for forcing me to do something I was told, it couldn't do by itself. It brought me into this… ravaged world, to fight a war that wasn't mine for reasons I still do not understand completely.

I… I was so scared, I still am. And yet, despite my many mistakes… you, the city and its people embraced me as one of their own. All of you believed in me, even when I myself didn't, so I did not lose hope. Perhaps I will never be able to bring back the life that once was mine. But instead, you and the Traveler gave me something worth living for. A purpose, whereas I thought had none, and I will do everything in my power to protect it."

The girl looked back to her Ghost when her speech ended. A tear ran down from her cheek while a faint smirk stretched her lips.

Now the construct was the one speechless, and only let out a low, pleased chirp in response as it rotated its carcass joyfully.

"Good to see you're not like those who get carried away by pretty speeches and shiny medals."

A female voice suddenly sounded from behind them. Rapunzel instinctively turned, encountering the mysterious exo woman that she met on Venus, approaching to her at a snail's pace.

"Because the real war is still out there." she resumed, walking to the girl's side.

"Oh, it's you again!" Rapunzel said, rising off the edge of the platform, standing before the exo stranger. "We did it. We destroyed the heart of the Black Garden."

"I know, that why I'm here. Take this." the mysterious woman replied, drawing out her odd-looking rifle from her back, holding it horizontally in her hands for the girl to take.

"Y-your weapon? Why?" Rapunzel asked, arching an eyebrow, her sight fixated upon the weapon.

"You will need it for what's yet to come," the exo woman answered. "Terrible things born straight out from the Darkness, and every moment brings them closer… Our fight, your fight, is far from over."

Rapunzel bit her lower lip, lingering motionless in her stance for a few seconds before she slowly lifted her hand towards the stranger's rifle.

"In your honor, I will keep those terrible things at bay..." she spoke solemnly, cautiously wrapping her palm around the grip of the weapon, making it her own. "You have my thanks… Will I ever see you again?"

"Only if I am needed..." the mysterious woman replied, abandoning the girl's side, walking to the edge of the hangar. "But, under your protection… this city has very little to fear."

After that, a wave of sparkling, cerulean beams emerged from thin air, swiftly enveloping the exo stranger's mechanical body.

Then, as quickly as it appeared, the unknown radiance vanished into nothingness, leaving the mysterious woman nowhere to be seen inside the hangar.

Anew, the girl stood completely frozen while she stared deeply through narrowed eyes at the spot where the stranger was lastly seen, tilting her head like a confused kitten.

"I've never seen a weapon like this one before," Ghost said, approaching from behind, casting a light-beam upon the odd-looking rifle. "The technology, the materials… it's a work of art."

"Surely it will come handy." Rapunzel commented, moving her new weapon upwards, attaching it to her back.

"Much more now that we've been assigned a special mission," the construct added. "In recognition of your remarkable efforts and deeds."

"What!? After all the crazy stuff we went through, and the whole kerfuffle at the Black Garden, my reward is more work!?"

"A very important mission, Rapunzel. The House of Devils is back, and they're digging into old Golden Age research labs all across the system. This isn't a simple smash-and-grab, they're up to something big. Now, the Devils are shifting a massive amount of resources to an area nearby the Cosmodrome that has been dark for centuries."

"Sounds like the usual Fallen shenanigans to me."

"Indeed. Normally, I'd say that it's just another day, and the Vanguard wasn't particularly concerned either. Except, what has everyone in the Tower talking, is that Lord Saladin has left his outpost at the 'Iron Banner' to take care of the situation personally. And he wants you, the 'Hero of the city', in his fireteam."

"Oh… Well, that changes everything," Rapunzel said, lifting her hand, rubbing her chin with her index and her thumb. "What is there to be done?"

"Something very strange, actually. Instead of heading straight to the source, Lord Saladin wants us to investigate an abandoned observatory in the mountains."

"Sounds promising. Count me in!"

"That's the spirit!" Ghost exclaimed enthusiastically, spinning its shell. "But what about the ceremony? There is still a lot of people who wish to talk with you, Saladin himself included."

"I'll be there in a moment, alright?" the girl replied. "I still need some time to clear my thoughts."

"I understand. I'll be waiting for you there when you're ready."

Following the sentence, Ghost quickly vanished from the hangar in a flash of cerulean light.

Meanwhile, the girl remained, smiling feebly while she wiped out some tears forming around her watery eyes using the back of her hand.

Then she slowly turned on her heel, her gaze instantly getting lost in the horizon.

"Thank you... for everything." she said softly, glancing above to the clouds, to the slumbering Traveler keeping silent watch over the city, being grateful at the divine force that had pity of her and made her life change for good, showing her that not everything was doomed.

And with that, Rapunzel spun again, walking back inside the Tower Hangar, ready to tackle the next challenge.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **So it concludes.**

 **It was a very long journey, but after almost two years, my first story is finally complete.**

 **I wish to express my deepest, sincerest gratitude to all those who were patient enough to give my ideas, my writing a chance, especially after the long hiatus that happened in the months following the sixth chapter. But I rather delivering you quality than quantity, and to make up for that I published the biggest update I've ever posted, to close with a flourish the story of Huntress Rapunzel that both you and I have come to know and love.**

 **In case you didn't notice, the update to the story, as I stated in my previous message, includes a complete overhaul of the currently-published chapters. So, if you already have read the other entries in this fic, I strongly recommend you to give it a second read, for I included new content and many fixes to the lousy grammar.**

 **I'm not sure if it turned out to be completely flawless, but I feel very confident to say that it is a far cry from the earlier version. I am so proud with the result, and I hope you guys liked it.**

 **After all I did this specially for you, my noble readers. Because your support is the fuel of my humble creativity and will to carry on with my writing, I want you to know that and never forget it, you made this, this is for you, you and only you make this possible, it wouldn't exist otherwise.**

 **I completely fell in love with the idea of Rapunzel as a Guardian. In all honesty, I am a bit sad that this story has ended, but I'm also very excited about the fact that I'm free to start another series.**

 **In any case, I truly hope you enjoyed this lecture as much as I did creating it. "Believe" will always have a special place in my heart, just as the people who blessed me with their reviews, favorites and follows from the moment I uploaded the first chapter.**

 **Oh! On a final note, check out the art of 'u/bluedotdenizen' on Reddit. You can also find more art under the profile 'ranthadine' on Tumblr, with a gallery of sketches including but not limiting to Mass Effect, Dragon Age and X-Men. This wonderful artist was kind enough to produce an outstanding fanart for this story that you can find on Imgur. Please excuse the fact that Rapunzel is depicted there as a Warlock, that was my fault for not informing the artist correctly as the drawing was made.**

 **But that's pretty much all. Feel free to leave a review or send me a PM with your thoughts on my writing. With nothing more on my part I bid you all farewell! There are more projects on the way!**

 **Peace and success to you all! May you be having a wonderful 2019!**

 **Until next time.**

 **Knight-Aedo-Rhapsodios.**


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